Education Technology

Will it Float or Sink?

Subject Area
Science: Physical Science: Properties of Matter
Level
6-8
Activity Time
45 Minutes
TI Calculator
TI-Nspire™ CX series
TI-Nspire™ CX CAS/CX II CAS
TI-Nspire™ Apps for iPad®
TI-Nspire Version
3.9

Will it Float or Sink?

Activity Overview

In this lesson, students will visually see the relationship between density of liquid solutions.

Objectives

  • Students will calculate the density in g/mL given the mass of a liquid and its volume.
  • Students will sort layers of liquids of different densities.
  • Students will predict where a solid object of a given density will float in a density column.

Vocabulary

  • density
  • float
  • liquid
  • mass
  • sink
  • solid
  • volume

About the Lesson

In this lesson, students will associate flotation with a solid and a liquid (for example, ice floating on water).  This lesson allows students to visually see the relationship between density of liquid solutions and the relative position of an object in the solutions based on its density.

As a result, students will:

  • Understand how solutions will separate based on their densities.
  • Predict where a solid object will float within the given solutions based on its given mass and volume.

Subject Area
Science: Physical Science: Properties of Matter
Level
6-8
Activity Time
45 Minutes
TI Calculator
TI-Nspire™ CX series
TI-Nspire™ CX CAS/CX II CAS
TI-Nspire™ Apps for iPad®
TI-Nspire Version
3.9
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