Comparing the Density of an Object to the Density of Water

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Learners compare the weight of equal volumes of wax, water, and clay. Learners discover that since the wax weighs less than an equal volume of water, it is less dense than water and will float. And since the clay weighs more than an equal volume of water, it is more dense and will sink. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org. Activity write-up only, images are unavailable.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • Water
  • 1 Clear plastic cup or container
  • 2 Tealight candles in metal containers
  • Ruler
  • Tape
  • Pencil
  • Permanent marker
  • Clay
  • Student Activity Sheet

Keywords

Subjects

  • Earth and Space Science
    • Earth Structure
      • Oceans and Water
  • Mathematics
    • Measurement
      • Units of Measurement
  • Physical Sciences
    • Structure and Properties of Matter
      • Mass and Weight
      • Volume and Density
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Kessler, James H. ; Galvan, Patricia M.

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, American Chemical Society, 2007