浮力（英语：buoyancy 或 upthrust），物理学名词。一般指物理体在流体（包括液体和气体）中，各表面受流体（液体和气体）压力的差（合力）。浮力的单位是牛顿（N）。

相传叙拉古赫农王让工匠替他做了一顶纯金的王冠。但是在做好后，[国王]疑心工匠做的金冠并非纯金制作，但这顶金冠确与当初交给金匠的纯金一样重。 经一大臣建议，国王请来阿基米德检验。最初，阿基米德也是冥思苦想而却无计可施。一天，他在家洗澡，当他坐进澡盆里时，看到水往外溢，同时感到身体被轻轻托起。他突然悟到可以用测定固体在水中排水量的办法，来确定金冠的比重。 他兴奋地跳出澡盆，连衣服都顾不得穿上就跑了出去，大声喊着“Eureka！Eureka！”

In science, buoyancy (pronunciation: /ˈbɔɪ.ənᵗsi/ or /ˈbuːjənᵗsi/; also known as upthrust) is an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of an immersed object. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus the pressure at the bottom of a column of fluid is greater than at the top of the column. Similarly, the pressure at the bottom of an object submerged in a fluid is greater than at the top of the object. This pressure difference results in a net upwards force on the object. The magnitude of that force exerted is proportional to that pressure difference, and (as explained by Archimedes' principle) is equivalent to the weight of the fluid that would otherwise occupy the volume of the object, i.e. the displaced fluid.