Archimedes’ Principle Revisited

Abstract

Based on Newton's third law of motion, we present a different but quite general analysis of Archimedes' principle. This analysis explains the reduction in apparent weight of a submerged object in all cases, regardless of its position in the fluid. We also study the case in which the object rests on the bottom of the container where the net hydrostatic force on it is downward, and explain where in this case the reduction in the apparent weight comes from.