What makes something sink or float? Look at the items on this list.
A metal spoon, a plastic spoon, a metal paper clip, a coin, a ping-pong
ball, an apple, and an orange. Decide which of the items will float or sink. Read the Hypothesis statements and vote in the poll below. When you vote you will be able will be making a prediction and you will be able to see what others think.
Float or Sink?
What makes something float or sink? You might say "Heavy things sink and light things float." Ships are heavy, yet they float. How come? Let's find out.
The first thing we will do is gather the items we want to test. Find the items or ask an adult to help you gather them..
Print the Test Results page to keep track of your tests.
Test List
metal spoon
plastic spoon
nail
paper clip
coin
ping-pong ball
apple
orange
grape
Tablespoon of Cooking Oil
Fill a large bowl with about five inches of water. Test each object by slowly putting them one at a time into the bowl. If it floats try to make it sink. If it sinks try to make it float. Can you change the items in any way to make them sink or float? Peal the apple and orange. What happens? Why? What other objects can you find to test? Record what you observe on the "Test Results" page that you printed. Some other students tested these objects. Find out what their results were by clicking the button at the bottom of the page.
An object floats when its density is lower than the liquid surrounding it. Archimedes, an ancient Greek mathematician, discovered that things float when the object displaces an amount of water equal to its own volume. He knew if he divided the weight of an object by its volume he could mathematically determine the objects density.
Boat builders used Archimedes Principle to build boats that were able to
transport people and things to different places all over the world. Rivers and
streams have been used as roads to carry products to market throughout history. Explorers used ships to travel to new lands and discover new worlds. Without ships to transport food all over the world more people would go hungry. The shipping industry has used water to contribute to life around the world.
Density Experiment
Gather these materials:
A measuring cup
Water
Calculator
3 objects of simular size Example: 3 beads made of glass, metal, plastic or
wood.
You must know the weight in grams of the objects.
Steps:
1. Pour water into the measuring cup.
2. Record the amount in the cup.
3. Put one object completely into the water and record the new volume.
4. Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 with the other objects. Put the objects in one at
a time.
5. Calculate the density: Density=Mass/Volume (Mass divided by Volume.)
Example: If a wooden bead weighs 5 grams and displaces 10 milliliters of water, 5g/10ml=0.5 g/ml. Since water has a density of 1g/ml an object with a density of more than 1g/ml will sink and an object with a density of less than 1g/ml will float. The wooden bead's density is less than the water's density so it will float.
Watch this cool video about the Mysterious Floating Paper Clip!
The first thing we will do is gather the items we want to test. Find the items or ask an adult to help you gather them..
Print the Test Results page to keep track of your tests.
Test List
metal spoon
plastic spoon
nail
paper clip
coin
ping-pong ball
apple
orange
grape
Tablespoon of Cooking Oil
Fill a large bowl with about five inches of water. Test each object by slowly putting them one at a time into the bowl. If it floats try to make it sink. If it sinks try to make it float. Can you change the items in any way to make them sink or float? Peal the apple and orange. What happens? Why? What other objects can you find to test? Record what you observe on the "Test Results" page that you printed. Some other students tested these objects. Find out what their results were by clicking the button at the bottom of the page.
An object floats when its density is lower than the liquid surrounding it. Archimedes, an ancient Greek mathematician, discovered that things float when the object displaces an amount of water equal to its own volume. He knew if he divided the weight of an object by its volume he could mathematically determine the objects density.
Boat builders used Archimedes Principle to build boats that were able to
transport people and things to different places all over the world. Rivers and
streams have been used as roads to carry products to market throughout history. Explorers used ships to travel to new lands and discover new worlds. Without ships to transport food all over the world more people would go hungry. The shipping industry has used water to contribute to life around the world.
Density Experiment
Gather these materials:
A measuring cup
Water
Calculator
3 objects of simular size Example: 3 beads made of glass, metal, plastic or
wood.
You must know the weight in grams of the objects.
Steps:
1. Pour water into the measuring cup.
2. Record the amount in the cup.
3. Put one object completely into the water and record the new volume.
4. Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 with the other objects. Put the objects in one at
a time.
5. Calculate the density: Density=Mass/Volume (Mass divided by Volume.)
Example: If a wooden bead weighs 5 grams and displaces 10 milliliters of water, 5g/10ml=0.5 g/ml. Since water has a density of 1g/ml an object with a density of more than 1g/ml will sink and an object with a density of less than 1g/ml will float. The wooden bead's density is less than the water's density so it will float.
Watch this cool video about the Mysterious Floating Paper Clip!