How Does Pressure Affect Buoyant Force?
Written by Michael Stratford
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Pressure, which is a force exerted upon an object over a given area of space, affects buoyancy when the object is submerged. An object submerged in water will experience a buoyant force equal to the weight of the water that is being displaced by the submersion. In other words, a solid object put into water displaces a weight equal to the water that covers it.
Archimedes was puzzling over a monarch's riddle: How do we determine if my sacred crown is all gold or gold mixed with silver? Archimedes, submerged in his bath, cried out "Eureka!" when he realized that genuine gold would displace less water than silver, and the measurement of displaced water -- how far the water in the tub rose when the crown was submerged -- would yield an accurate measurement of the crown's gold-to-silver ratio.
Pressure Increases Buoyant Force
The upward force of rising water is the buoyant force, exerted upon the object by the fluid; this is true whether the object floats or sinks. As the object's depth increases, so the fluid pressure increases. This pressure is always greater at the bottom than the top, hence the force that creates the displacement, the rising water. Pressure therefore increases buoyant force, which is equal to the weight of the water being dispersed. Eureka!
Boston University: Physics: Pressure and Buoyancy
New York University: The Ten Books on Architecture: Book IX, Introduction
Boston University: Physics: The Buoyant Force
University of Winnepeg: Buoyant Forces
The Environmental Protection Agency: Buoyant Force Calculations
Ancient Greece: Archimedes
Michael Stratford is a National Board-certified and Single Subject Credentialed teacher with a Master of Science in educational rehabilitation (University of Montana, 1995). He has taught English at the 6-12 level for more than 20 years. He has written extensively in literary criticism, student writing syllabi and numerous classroom educational paradigms.
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