Boyle's Law: An Introduction To The Cartesian Diver

Max Heilman
Cartesian Diver Project
Chemistry 10
Mrs. McCarroll
January 22, 2018
Introduction
The Cartesian Diver is a pressurized water experiment demonstrating the principle of buoyancy and the ideal gas law. It was invented by Rene Descartes and later documented by Rafeallo Magiotti’s “Renifenza certissima dell’acqua alla compression,” or “Very Firm Resistance of Water to Compression,” in 1648. Descartes was credited as being the greatest French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist of the 17th century. He was also dubbed “The Father of Modern Western Philosophy,” as his writings have been studied for centuries, and are still studied today.

Research
Boyle’s Law, also referred to as “Boyle-Mariotte Law” or “Mariotte’s

Submarines and toys employ demonstrations of Boyle’s law as outlined below.

Cartesian Diver Concept
The scientific principle applied to the Cartesian Diver experiment is Boyle’s Law. The diver is a small object whose density varies with pressure. The basic design for making a Cartesian Diver includes a large bottle filled with water. A carefully filled eyedropper is inserted inside the bottle acting as a “diver.” The diver will float in unpressurized water, then sink when the bottle is squeezed (and pressure increased.) The diver will remain sunk until pressure is released, and would then it float back to the surface. When the bottle is squeezed, the pressure on the water increases. This causes the air inside the diver to be compressed. This compressed air takes up less space (volume), thus it displaces less water. As less water is displaced (or more water enters the diver), the density of the diver seemingly increases, and the diver sinks to the

The dome of the bottle was outlined with several paint colors, and each of the colors equals a different amount of points (instructions as well as the scoring system are affixed to the bottle.) Squeezing the bottle causes the diver to dive to the bottom of the bottle; the player then aims and directs the “dart” by tilting and rotating the bottle as appropriate. Releasing pressure on the bottle will propel the dart upwards. The first point of contact by the dart will determine how many points were earned. If the dart hits the cap, no points are given, and the player receives a score of zero for their turn. These steps are repeated five times, and the player with the highest tally of points is the