Buoyancy or the buoyancy force is the force acting upwards due to the pressure caused by the fluid that opposes the weight of the object that is placed on the fluid. Buoyancy is measured in terms of the buoyancy force and it is measured in terms of the net fluid displaced by the body. This force acting on the object by the fluid enables the object to float. This article on how to calculate buoyancy will help you in calculating the buoyancy force.
Buoyancy of a fluid depends upon many factors such as surface tension acting on the body, volume of the fluid and dimensions of the body being immersed in the fluid.
Buoyancy is based upon Archimedes Principle. Archimedes principle states that any object which is wholly or partially immersed in a fluid is buoyed by a force that is equal to the weight of the fluid that is displaced by the object.
Calculating buoyancy
There are many formulas for calculating buoyancy. Buoyancy is calculated as buoyancy force or buoyancy mass.
Formula for calculating buoyant mass
Buoyant mass = m × (1 – Pf/Po)
In the above formula,
- m = mass of the object placed on the surface of the liquid
- Po = average density of the object
- Pf = average density of the surrounding fluid
Before calculating the buoyant mass of the liquid you need to calculate the density of the object being immersed and the density of the fluid on which the object is to be placed. Calculate the mass of the object also.
Formula for calculating Buoyant Force
Buoyant force = -p × V × g
In the above formula,
- P = density of the fluid displaced by the object when it is immersed in the fluid
- V = volume of the object which is submerged in the liquid
- g = standard gravity on the earth which is approximately 9.81 N/kg
- If you want to calculate the buoyancy force, calculate the volume of the object being immersed in the fluid.
- Then calculate the percentage of the object that will be submerged in the water and convert this calculated percentage value into a decimal number.
- Calculate the specific gravity of the fluid or you can use online sources to get the specific gravity of the fluid.
Example:
Suppose the volume of the object is 8 cubic feet and about 25 percent of the object is immersed in the fluid. If the fluid you are using here is water then its specific gravity can be considered as 62.4 pounds per cubic foot.
Now to calculate the buoyancy force, substitute the above values in the equation for calculating buoyancy force.
Buoyancy force = 8 × 0.25 × 62.4
Buoyancy force = 124.8 pounds
Therefore, the buoyancy force or buoyancy of water when an object of 8 cubic feet immersed in water is 124.8 pounds.
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