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Buoyancy

Buoyancy

When an object is placed in a fluid, it either floats or sinks. All objects in a fluid experience a buoyant force. For example, a metal ball sinks, while a rubber ball floats. Similarly, a submarine can sink and float by adjusting its buoyancy. The concept of buoyancy raises several interesting questions. For instance, where does this buoyant force come from? How much buoyant force is required to make an object sink or float? Do objects that sink get any support at all from the...

Archimedes' Principle

Archimedes' Principle

Archimedes' principle states that an upward buoyant force exerted on a body that is immersed partially or entirely in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by it. To understand how much buoyant force is needed to make an object float, let us think about what happens when a submerged object is removed from a fluid. If the object were not in the fluid, the space occupied by the object would be filled by the fluid having a weight wfl. This weight is supported by the...

Buoyancy and Stability for Submerged and Floating Bodies

Buoyancy and Stability for Submerged and Floating Bodies

In fluid mechanics, buoyancy and stability are key concepts for understanding the behavior of submerged and floating bodies. When a stationary body is fully or partially submerged in a fluid, the fluid exerts a force on the body known as the buoyant force. This force acts vertically upward through a point called the center of buoyancy, which is the center of the displaced fluid volume. According to Archimedes' principle, the magnitude of the buoyant force is equal to the weight of the fluid...

Accelerating Fluids

Accelerating Fluids

When a fluid is in constant acceleration, the pressure and buoyant force equations are modified. Suppose a beaker is placed in an elevator accelerating upward with a constant acceleration, a. In the beaker, assume there is a thin cylinder of height h with an infinitesimal cross-sectional area, ΔS.
The motion of the liquid within this infinitesimal cylinder is considered to obtain the pressure difference. Three vertical forces act on this liquid:

Hydrostatic Pressure Force on a Curved Surface

Hydrostatic Pressure Force on a Curved Surface

Hydrostatic pressure on curved surfaces is a fundamental concept in fluid mechanics with broad applications in the civil engineering field. When fluid is in contact with a curved surface, as in a reservoir, dam, or storage tank, it exerts pressure that varies in magnitude and direction along the curved surface. To assess the total hydrostatic force exerted by the fluid on a curved structure, engineers typically isolate the fluid volume adjacent to the surface and analyze the forces acting on...

Density and Archimedes' Principle

Density and Archimedes' Principle

When a lump of clay is dropped into water, it sinks. But if the same lump of clay is molded into the shape of a boat, it starts to float. Because of its shape, the clay boat displaces more water than the lump and experiences a greater buoyant force, even though its mass is the same. The same holds true for steel ships. The average density of an object majorly determines if the object will float. If an object's average density is less than that of the surrounding fluid, it will float. The...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Uncoupling Coriolis Force and Rotating Buoyancy Effects on Full-Field Heat Transfer Properties of a Rotating Channel

Uncoupling Coriolis Force and Rotating Buoyancy Effects on Full-Field Heat Transfer Properties of a Rotating Channel

Published on: October 5, 2018

The swim force as a body force.

Wen Yan¹, John F Brady

¹Department of Mechanical & Civil Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. wyan@caltech.edu.

|July 9, 2015

Summary

Active matter exhibits net motion due to internal forces, creating unique pressure dynamics against container walls. This study reveals how these forces influence particle distribution and behavior near boundaries.

Area of Science:

Physics
Soft Matter Physics
Statistical Mechanics

Background:

Active matter systems exhibit persistent motion driven by internal forces.
Understanding the emergent collective behavior and force dynamics in active matter is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the nature of the average swim force in active matter.
To analyze the resulting particle pressure on container walls.
To develop a continuum description for active particle suspensions.

Main Methods:

Theoretical analysis of active particle dynamics.
Derivation of force balances in active matter suspensions.
Comparison with existing models of active matter pressure.

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Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions

Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions

Published on: February 17, 2019

Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability

Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability

Published on: March 3, 2017

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Last Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Uncoupling Coriolis Force and Rotating Buoyancy Effects on Full-Field Heat Transfer Properties of a Rotating Channel

Uncoupling Coriolis Force and Rotating Buoyancy Effects on Full-Field Heat Transfer Properties of a Rotating Channel

Published on: October 5, 2018

Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions

Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions

Published on: February 17, 2019

Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability

Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability

Published on: March 3, 2017

Main Results:

The average swim force acts as an internal body force.
Particle pressure on walls is a sum of swim pressure and particle weight.
A Boltzmann-like distribution arises from balancing swim force and pressure.
Active particles can exhibit boundary accumulation/depletion without external forces.

Conclusions:

The internal forces in active matter lead to distinct pressure contributions and particle distributions.
Continuum models can describe active matter behavior at larger scales.
Active particles demonstrate 'action at a distance' effects near boundaries.