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Learn About The Force of Upthrust

force worksheet

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42 views13 pages

Learn About The Force of Upthrust

force worksheet

Uploaded by

shakira sarooj
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Science worksheet

Learn About the Force of Upthrust


Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

Science Worksheet

Learn About the Force of Upthrust

In this worksheet, students will learn about the force of upthrust.

Key Information
Topic Forces
Level (1-3)
Questions 10
Key Stage KS 3
Year 9
Curriculum Coverage Physics: Motion and Forces
Curriculum Skill Pressure in Fluids

Name

Date

EdPlace Limited 2024 Page 1/18


Science worksheet
Learn About the Force of Upthrust
Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

Introduction

Have you ever tried bobbing for apples? It's a game you might play at a fair.
A large container is filled with water and apples are placed inside it. When
you bob for apples you aren't allowed to use your hands, and you try and
grab an apple with your teeth!

The apples in the container float. Do you know why they float? It's the same
reason that a boat can float!

Objects float because of the force of upthrust. Let's learn about this force
and how it affects objects!

Imagine placing an apple into a bowl of water. Two main forces affect the
apple.

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Science worksheet
Learn About the Force of Upthrust
Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

First is the weight of the apple, acting down, caused by gravity.

The second is upthrust. This is a force that acts any time an object is
placed into a liquid. Upthrust acts upward, in the opposite direction to the
weight.

Upthrust is a contact force.

What causes upthrust? Liquid pressure! Colliding water particles cause


pressure, but the pressure is not constant in the liquid. The deeper you are,
the greater the pressure.

So, for our apple, the liquid pressure at the bottom of the apple is greater
than the liquid pressure at the top of the apple. This pressure difference is
what causes the upthrust!

For a solid object in a liquid:

If the weight is greater than the upthrust, the object sinks.

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Science worksheet
Learn About the Force of Upthrust
Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

If the weight is less than the upthrust, the object floats.

If the weight is the same or similar to the upthrust, the object can
be partially submerged.

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Science worksheet
Learn About the Force of Upthrust
Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

What factors affect the upthrust?

There are two important ones:

The first is the volume of the object in the liquid. The greater the volume,
the greater the upthrust force.

The second is the density of the liquid. The denser the liquid, the greater
the upthrust.

Mercury is a metal that is a liquid at room temperature. Its density is nearly


14 times greater than the density of water. That means that it causes much
more upthrust!

You can float a cube of copper metal in mercury because the upthrust is
greater than the weight of the copper. In water, the copper would
sink because the upthrust would be much less than the weight of the
copper.

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Science worksheet
Learn About the Force of Upthrust
Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

Now that we are more confident in our understanding of upthrust, let's try
some questions!

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Science worksheet
Learn About the Force of Upthrust
Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

Question 1

Two main forces act on objects floating in liquids.

One of the forces is upthrust.

What is the other force?

Answer 1 Water resistance


Answer 2 Mass
Answer 3 Weight

Question 2

The force of upthrust is linked to the concept of liquid pressure.

Can you complete the explanation of the cause of upthrust below, using
the key term list to help you?

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Science worksheet
Learn About the Force of Upthrust
Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

particles

less

deeper

upthrust

pressure

Question 3

What type of force is upthrust?

Answer 1 Non-contact force


Answer 2 Contact force
Answer 3 Neither

Question 4

Look at the diagram below. An object is being placed at the surface of the
water.

What will happen to the object when it is released?

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Science worksheet
Learn About the Force of Upthrust
Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

Answer 1 The object will sink


Answer 2 The object will float
Answer 3 The object will partially submerge

Question 5

Look at the diagram below. An object is being placed at the surface of the
water.

What will happen to the object when it is released?

Answer 1 The object will sink


Answer 2 The object will float
Answer 3 The object will partially submerge

Question 6

Consider putting different objects into water.

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Science worksheet
Learn About the Force of Upthrust
Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

Can you link each description to what the result would be?

Column A Column B
The weight is less than the upthrust The object will be partially
submerged
The weight is greater than the The object will float
upthrust
The weight is the same as the The object will sink
upthrust

Question 7

A student is writing some notes about the factors that affect upthrust.

Can you spot their mistake?

Sentence The volume of an object in a liquid


affects the upthrust. The greater
the volume, the greater the
upthrust. The density of the object
also affects the amount of
upthrust. The denser the liquid, the
greater the upthrust.

Question 8

Some students are discussing upthrust in different liquids.

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Science worksheet
Learn About the Force of Upthrust
Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

Some statements from the students are listed below.

Which of the statements are correct?

Student A: "Copper can float in liquid mercury, so mercury must be much


more dense than water."

Student B: "Metals don't always sink in water, for example, boats don't
sink."

Student C: "Objects with air inside them are more likely to float".

Answer 1 Student A
Answer 2 Student B
Answer 3 Student C
Answer 4 Student A and Student B
Answer 5 Student A and Student C
Answer 6 Student B and Student C
Answer 7 All of them are right
Answer 8 None of them are right

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Science worksheet
Learn About the Force of Upthrust
Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

Question 9

An apple floats in water, but sinks when placed into a container of


gasoline.

Based on that fact, how do you think the density of gasoline compares to
the density of water?

Answer 1 The gasoline is less dense than water


Answer 2 The gasoline is more dense than water
Answer 3 The gasoline has the same density as water

Question 10

Below are some statements about upthrust.

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Science worksheet
Learn About the Force of Upthrust
Ref: SY1259T201819W13669

For each statement, decide if it is true or false.

True False
Upthrust acts in the
opposite direction to
weight
The greater the
volume of an object
the less likely it is to
float
Denser liquids cause
a greater upthrust
force
Objects that sink
experience no
upthrust

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