Algodoo

I tried to make my own version of this experiment by placing a large container of water on a standard spring scale (not a balance), but I was not able to make it work. The problem is, no matter how much density you make a geometry (for example, 100Kg) and then you liquefy it, the resulting water has a density of only about 5Kg! Then when I slowly lowered a circle (fake sphere) into the water, the total weight changed only a very tiny amount. I personally do not like using a balance type scale for this experiment because it does not give a numerical value of the change in weight of the water when the sphere is lowered half-way into it (which is really what this experiment is supposed to show).

This scene asks (implies) a simple question; Which way will the scale tip. All the information needed is already in the scene. The left ball is lighter than water because it floats. The right ball is heavier than water because it sinks. The weight of the water cancels because it is the same for each side. The left side has the added weight of the floating (lighter than water) ball. The right side has the buoyancy force (ball volume X water density) pushing down. The right side goes down until the weight of the water displaced equals the weight of the left ball. The point is that this scene asks a simple question that can be solved without knowing value of the buoyancy force.

Ahhh... I didn't see it that way, but now I get your point. I was taking the strict guidelines of the article as how the experiment MUST be done, but I see now that there are other ways of demonstrating the experiment, and this is one of them. Thanks for the detailed explanation!