Question

A scuba diver and her gear displace a volume of 67.0 l and have a total mass of 64.0 kg. (a) what is the buoyant force on the diver in sea water?

Answer 1

Buoyant force is the force that is a result from the pressure exerted by a fluid on the object. We calculate this value by using the Archimedes principle where it says that the upward buoyant force that is being exerted to a body that is immersed in the fluid is equal to the fluid's weight that the object has displaced. Buoyant force always acts opposing the direction of weight. We calculate as follows:

Fb = W
Fb = mass (acceleration due to gravity)
Fb = 64.0 kg ( 9.81 m/s^2)
Fb = 627.84 kg m/s^2

Therefore, the buoyant force that is exerted on the diver in the sea water would be 627.84 N