Buoyancy. WHY DO THINGS FLOAT IN WATER?

What is buoyant force?

The topic of this lesson helps early-elementary aged kids understand the basic concepts of buoyancy (floating and sinking), density, and Archimedes' Principle.

What do we need for the experiment?

For one student:

1 liter water (not to drink)

A glass jar 0.5 liter

A plastic spoon

200 g salt

1 potato

1 mandarin

For all kids:

A towel to dry hands

A rug to dry water drops from table

Objects are made up of very tiny molecules. Molecules can be packed in close together like in a rock or more spread out like in bubble wrap. The positioning of molecules affects the density of an object. Objects with tightly packed molecules are more dense than those where the molecules are spread out.

Song about swimming