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The Shape of Floatation
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In this activity (on page 2 of the PDF under GPS: Sailboat Design Activity), learners will discover how the shape of an object, not just its weight, determines whether it floats or sinks.
Salt 'n Lighter
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In this activity, learners discover that as the salinity of water increases, the density increases as well. Learners prove this by attempting to float fresh eggs in saltwater and freshwater.
Defining Density
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In this introductory demonstration and activity, learners are introduced to the concept of density as they explore a rock and a wooden block in water.
Diet Light
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In this quick activity, learners observe how the added sugar in a can of soda affects its density and thus, its ability to float in water.
Cartesian Diver
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In this demonstration, learners observe the effects of density and pressure. A "diver" constructed out of a piece of straw and Blu-Tack will bob inside a bottle filled with water.
Descartes' Diver
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In this activity, learners explore how changes in fluid pressure affect the buoyancy of a Cartesian diver inside a plastic soda bottle.
Deep Sea Diver
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In this ocean engineering activity, learners explore buoyancy and water displacement. Then, learners design models of deep sea divers that are neutrally buoyant.
Physics in the Kitchen: Sink or Swim Soda
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In the kitchen, learners can perform their own density investigation.
Root Beer Float
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In this quick activity/demonstration about density, learners examine what happens when two cans of root beer--one diet and one regular--are placed in a large container of water.
Density Rainbow and the Great Viscosity Race
Learners conduct two activities to investigate two properties of liquids: density and viscosity. In a clear container, learners stack 7 different liquids which will layer according to their density.
Dancing Spaghetti
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In this chemistry activity, learners use spaghetti to explore density and chemical reactions.
Can You Canoe?
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In this activity, learners explore how engineering has impacted the manufacturing of canoes over time, including the development of new, durable, and lighter materials.
Watercraft
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In this design challenge activity, learners build a boat that can hold 25 pennies (or 15 one inch metal washers) for at least ten seconds before sinking.
Design a Submarine
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Learners act as engineers and design mini submarines that move in the water like real submarines.
Floating Head Cup
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In this activity, learners watch a figure "magically" float up through the air.
Inverted Bottles
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In this activity, learners investigate convection by using food coloring and water of different temperatures.
Make a Wire Critter That Can Walk on Water
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In this activity, learners make water-walking critters using thin wire, and then test how many paper clips these critters can carry without sinking.
Density Intensity
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In this activity on page 12 of the PDF (Rethinking the 3 R’s: It’s Easy to be Green), learners examine how recyclable materials are separated by various properties at recycling centers.
Floating Paperclip and Other Surface Tension Experiments
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In this activity, learners experiment with surface tension using everyday household items such as strawberry baskets, paperclips, liquid dish soap, and pepper.
Cartesian Diver
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In this quick activity (page 1 of the PDF under SciGirls Activity: California Fish), learners will build a simple Cartesian Diver in an empty 2-liter bottle.