Review Innovations
BUOYANCY
Archimedes’ Principle:
“A body immersed in a fluid is acted by a buoyant force
which is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced”.
BF = g f Vd
BF = buoyant force (kN)
γf = unit weight of fluid displaced (kN/m3)
Vd = volume of fluid displaced (m3);
volume of body displacing;
volume of body immersed
1. An iceberg (sg = 0.917) floats in ocean water with 3000 m3
of the iceberg protruding above the free surface. What is
the volume of the iceberg below the free surface?
2. A piece of wood floats in water with 15 cm projecting
above the water surface. When placed in oil, the block
projects 10 cm above the liquid surface.
a. Calculate the height of the wood.
b. Calculate the specific gravity of the wood.
c. If the wood is vertically submerged in seawater (s.g.
= 1.03) by how many millimeters would it project
out the surface?
3. A stone cube 280 mm on a side and weighing 425 N is
lowered into a tank containing a layer of water over a
layer of mercury. Determine the draft in mercury.
4. A solid object of specific gravity 3.47 floats in mercury.
a. What fraction of its volume is above the liquid
surface?
b. What is its weight if 0.018 m3 is below the liquid
surface?
c. What vertical force will fully submerge the object?
5. A stone weighs 468 N in air. When submerged in water, it
weighs 298 N. Determine the volume of the stone.
6. A rectangular tank of internal width of 5 m, as shown in
the figure, contains oil of sp. gr. = 0.8 and water.
a. What is the value of h?
b. If a 1000 N block is made to float in oil, what is the
new value of h?
c. If a 1000 N block is made to float in oil, what is the
rise (cm) in water surface in chamber B?
7. A piece of irregularly shaped metal weighs 300.0 N in air.
When the metal is completely submerged in water, it
weighs 232.5 N. Find the volume of the metal.
Ans. 0.00688 m3
Manila, Baguio, Cebu FB: @ReviewInnovationsOfficial
( (02) 8735-9161 0919-227-9194
CE Review for April 2024 - Hydraulics 3
8. Determine the magnitude and direction of the force
necessary to hold a concrete cube, 0.300 m on each side,
in equilibrium and completely submerged (a) in mercury
and (b) in water. Use sg. of concrete = 2.4. Ans. 2.97 kN
(downward); 0.37 kN (upward)
9. A can floats in the position shown. What is its weight in
N? Ans. 5 N
10. An iceberg in the ocean floats with one-seventh of its
volume above the surface. What is its specific gravity
relative to ocean water? What portion of its volume
would be above the surface if ice were floating in pure
water? Ans. 0.857; 11.7%
11. A freshly cut log floats with one fourth of its volume
protruding above the water surface. Determine the
specific weight of the log. Ans. 7.36 kN/m3
12. To what depth will a 2.4-m diameter log 5 m long and
specific gravity of 0.425 sink in freshwater. Ans. 1.06
13. A plastic sphere is immersed in seawater and moored at
the bottom. The sphere radius is 38 cm. The mooring line
has a tension of 710 N. What is the specific weight of the
sphere, in kN/m3. Ans. 7.015
14. A 1-m-diameter cylindrical mass, M, is connected to a 2-
m wide rectangular gate as shown. The gate is to open
when the water level, h, drops below 2.5 m. Determine
the required value for M. Neglect friction at the gate hinge
and the pulley. Ans. 2480 kg
15. Two spheres, each 1.20 m in diameter, weigh 4 kN and 12
kN respectively. They are connected with a short rope
and placed in water.
a. What is the tension in the rope?
Ans. 3.12 kN
b. What is the buoyant force on the lighter sphere?
Ans. 7.12 kN
c. What portion (in meter) protrudes from the water?
Ans. 0.34 m
Davao FB: Review Innovations Davao Branch
( (082) 221-1121 0930-256-0998
 Review Innovations CE Review for April 2024 - Hydraulics 3
• The resultant upward pressure of a fluid on a floating
body is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the
body. This definition is according to
(a) Equilibrium of a floating body
(b) Archimedes’ principle
(c) Bernoulli’s theorem
(d) Metacentric principle

• The resultant upward pressure of the fluid on an

immersed body is called
(a) upthrust
(b) buoyant force
(c) center of pressure
(d) all the above

• What is the principal cause of action of buoyant force on

a body submerged partially or fully in fluid?
a) Displacement of fluid due to submerged body
b) Development of force due to dynamic action
c) Internal shear forces mitigating external forces
d) None of the mentioned

• The center of gravity of the volume of the liquid

displaced by an immersed body is called
(a) meta-center
(b) center of pressure
(c) center of buoyancy
(d) center of gravity

• The horizontal component of buoyant force is

(a) negligible
(b) same as buoyant force
(c) zero
(d) none of the above

• Choose the wrong statement

(a) any weight, floating or immersed in a liquid, is acted
upon by a buoyant force
(p) Buoyant force is equal to the weight of the liquid
displaced
(c) The point through which buoyant force acts, is called
the center of buoyancy
(d) Center of buoyancy is located above the center of
gravity of the displaced liquid

• According to the principle of buoyancy a body totally

or partially immersed in a fluid will be lifted up by a
force equal to
(a) the weight of the body
(b) more than the weight of the body
(c) less than the weight of the body
(d) weight of the fluid displaced by the body

• How can relatively denser object be made to float on

the less dense fluid?
a) By altering the shape.
b) By altering the forces acting on the object
c) By altering the shear forces acting on the object
d) None of the mentioned

Manila, Baguio, Cebu FB: @ReviewInnovationsOfficial Davao FB: Review Innovations Davao Branch
( (02) 8735-9161 0919-227-9194 ( (082) 221-1121 0930-256-0998