Facing Fluids

B and E Blocks worked on their rotational dynamics and equilibrium exams today, while C and F Blocks began their work on fluid mechanics. Liquids and gases have their own characteristic interactions with forces and we started with the idea of buoyant forces. Fluids exert upward-directed forces on objects you place in or on them and the resulting change in the object's motion depends on the net force the object experiences (the difference between its weight and the buoyant force). We looked, experimentally and Archimedes Principle, then took the easier method for determining buoyant force : F_B = ρ_fVg. Remember that volume of the displaced fluid is equal to the object's volume. We'll go over your practice problems tomorrow (B Block) or Friday (F Block) and tomorrow will find F Block conducting a laboratory investigation on Archimedes Principle.