Hydrostatic balance
- Maker: Pixii – Neveu et Succr de Dumotiez
- Date: 1815-1839
- Location: Paris, France
- Collection: History of Sciences
Who is Archimedes?
Archimedes (287-212 BCE) was a Greek mathematician, physicist, inventor and astronomer. He is considered to be one of the most important scientists of Western Classical Antiquity.
What does this device demonstrate?
This hydrostatic balance, which was found in Joseph Plateau’s Cabinet de Physique (a collection of instruments) demonstrates how Archimedes’ principle works. This law of physics states that the upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid or a gas is equal to the weight of the fluid or gas that the body displaces.
How does this demonstration device work?
The volume of the upper, hollow cylinder is identical to the volume of the lower, solid cylinder. The balance is in equilibrium with the aid of a weight. If you submerge the lower, solid cylinder in a vessel filled with water, then the upward buoyant force that is exerted on the lower cylinder will disturb the equilibrium. The equilibrium can be restored by filling the upper, hollow cylinder with a volume of water that is identical to the volume inside the lower cylinder, i.e. the volume of the displaced fluid.
