Quick Answer: Archimedes’ Double Cylinder is a pair of matching cylinders for verifying Archimedes’ principle: one is a solid body and the other holds the liquid it displaces. Weighing in air and in water shows that the loss of weight equals the weight of liquid displaced.
Last updated: October 2026
Key Features
Solid cylinder that is immersed in the liquid
Matching hollow cylinder that holds the displaced liquid
Suspension hook for hanging from a spring balance
Used with a spring balance, overflow can, beaker and measuring cylinder
About This Product
Students weigh the solid cylinder in air, lower it fully into a filled overflow can and weigh it again while catching the overflow. The loss of weight is then compared with the weight of the displaced water, which is poured into the hollow cylinder, which verifies Archimedes’ principle and opens up work on floating, sinking and density.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Archimedes’ principle verified with the double cylinder?
The solid cylinder is weighed in air and when fully immersed; the loss of weight is compared with the weight of water it displaces, collected and poured into the hollow cylinder.
