Does it float?
Learn more about buoyancy and how and why things float. Density is the amount of matter in an object, space or volume. The denser the object is, the less likely it is to float. Buoyancy is the power of a liquid to keep something afloat. By doing experiments with water and various objects of different densities, more can be learned about buoyancy and how things float.
Will It Float?
Fill a large clear glass bowl or unused fish tank 3/4 full with plain tap water. Gather several items to use with the buoyancy experiment of different shapes, weights and sizes. Make a list of the objects to use while testing the items' buoyancy.
Place one item in the water and observe whether it sinks or floats. Mark on the list what happened to the item in the water. Experiment with all the items and create a final list of which items floated and which sank. Did any of the items surprise you? How many of the items sank?
Altering the Water
Fill a clear glass bowl or unused fish tank 3/4 of the way with water. Add 1 cup of salt to the water and mix well to dissolve the salt. Fill another clear glass bowl or unused fish tank with plain tap water.
Place various items of different shapes, weights and sizes in the altered water. Then place the items in the container of plain tap water. Make a list about the items' buoyancy in the salt water versus the plain tap water. Add an additional cup of salt water to the original salted water. Experiment with the items again, checking to see if the buoyancy is the same of the items. Did the amount of salt in the water affect the items floating?
Build a Boat
Construct a boat from various materials such as toothpicks, pieces of plastic, tongue depressors and string. The larger the surface area that is touching the wate, the more the boat is likely to float.
Test the boat by filling a clear bowl with water. Place the constructed boat in the water and observe if it stays buoyant. If it sinks, reevaluate the boat's construction and build it again.
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