Sinking, Floating and Suspending Investigation (student handout)
We want to know why some objects float, others sink, and some will suspend in the water, neither sinking nor floating.
We have 3 blocks. All the blocks are the same size, 2cm on a side. One block is metal, one is wood, and the other is styrofoam.
Prediction 1:
Which objects, if any, will float,which will sink, and which will neither float nor sink (suspend)? Explain your reasoning.
Data Gathering 1:
Use the balance to measure the mass of each object.
Data Gathering 2:
Measure the size of the blocks and calculate the volume:
Calculation 1:
Calculate the density of each object:
Would you like to revise your prediction after calculating density? If not, why not? If yes, what is the revision and why do you want
to make it?
Block Mass
Metal
Wood
Styrofoam
Block Length Volume
Metal side
Wood side
Styrofoam side
Block Density
Metal
Wood
Styrofoam
