Exploratorium
Descartes' Diver
Pique interest in water pressure, demonstrate buoyancy, and explore water displacement concepts with a homemade Cartesian diver. You may want to change the name of the toy, however, as is is not documented the Rene Descartes actually...
Curated OER
Displacement of fluids
Students understand the meaning of volume. In this displacement of liquid instructional activity, students experiment with various weights and a balance scale to find the liquid displaced.
Mr. Hill's Science Website
Density Workbook
It's all about density! Here's a dense workbook for young scientists; they solve (and show work for) 29 density word problems, including a problem where they solve for the density of Godzilla. They complete labs analyzing metal cubes,...
Curated OER
Marvelous Marbles
Students predict the change in water volume when adding marbles to a graduated cylinder. In this Chemistry lesson plan, students will need to make accurate water measurements to determine the fluid displaced by the marbles. The students...
Curated OER
Applied Science - Physics Pre-Lab
Students observe fluid motion. In this Physics lesson plan, students explore the principles of Pascal, Archimedes, and Bernoulli. Students list their experiences with fluid movement.
Curated OER
Buoyancy
In this buoyancy worksheet, students match the definitions given to the 6 terms associated with buoyancy, displacement, and Archimedes' principle.
Curated OER
Come On Down!
Begin with an introduction to famous deep-sea submersibles. Learners work in groups to gather information on different vessels and then share with the class. Each group then uses water displacement to help calculate the density of...
Teach Engineering
Above-Ground Storage Tank Design Project
The challenge: determine whether a tank will float. A design activity has groups work as engineering teams in order to determine the stability of given tanks and liquid contents. The teams need to determine the equations to calculate the...
Teach Engineering
Rock and Boat
Present the class with a question on whether the water level of a pond will rise they take a large rock out of a boat and drop it into the pond. Groups come down on all sides of the question and try to justify their answers. The activity...
Rice University
College Physics for AP® Courses
Take a look at an organized physics course. The 34-section electronic textbook covers material in AP® Physics 1 and 2. Teachers use the text to supplement lectures and have the class work through the labs. Each section contains multiple...
Curated OER
Density - To Float or Not to Float? That is the Question!
Students investigate how to find the density of fluids and solids using math. Students also learn how to find the density of regular and irregular shaped objects.
Curated OER
Atoms, Kinetic Theory, Solids and Fluids
Students identify and describe the building blocks that make up an atom. They also compare the ages of atoms to the ages of the materials they compose,as well as, give examples that illustrate the small size of atoms.
Curated OER
Make An Egg Float!
Students analyze density. In this density lesson, students experiment with floating an egg. Students discover that salt added to water changes the density of the water allowing an egg to float.
Curated OER
Buoyant Force
Students illustrate Archimedes' Principle of Buoyant Force. In this graphing instructional activity, students will observe that the buoyant force on an object is equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces. Students will then create a...
California Academy of Science
Global Climate Change and Sea Level Rise
Ice is nice, and its condition on the planet has a significant effect. Junior geoscientists experiment with ice melting in both water and on land to discover how each affect the rising sea level. This detailed instructional activity...
Curated OER
States of Matter
Properties in measurement, pressure and viscosity of solids, liquids, and gases are the main topics covered in this slideshow. The explanations of Pascal's, Bernoulli's, and the Venturi effects are very clear. Easy to understand diagrams...
Curated OER
Archimedes' Principle
Students examine the relationship between density and buoyancy. In this physics lesson students use Archimedes' Principle to complete calculations on buoyancy and a lab activity.
Curated OER
Buoyancy
In this buoyancy worksheet, students read about why objects float or sink. Students apply the Archimedes' Principle in a buoyancy lab. Students complete 1 graphic organizer.
Curated OER
Buoyancy-Why Things Float
In this buoyancy worksheet, students read about the principles behind objects floating including density, buoyancy and Archimedes' Principle. Students complete a buoyancy lab where they use a balloon and water and a film canister and...
Curated OER
I've Got That Sinking Feeling
Students design a simple boat and predict how much weight it can carry. They should also discover why objects float or sink and how this can be determined experimentally. A great lesson on buoyancy!
Curated OER
Creating the Ideal Cargo Boat
Students build boats out of clay to test the buoyancy of the boat in water. Students break into pairs and construct their boat to specific guide lines, then experiment with their boat in the water.
Curated OER
Sinking and Floating
Students examine why some objects float or sink. In this physics instructional activity, students engage in several mini-experiments which challenge them to draw their own conclusions regarding why certain objects sink or float. An...
Curated OER
Global Climate Change
Second graders investigate the effect of melting glaciers to sea level. In this earth science activity, 2nd graders simulate the process in the lab by conducting an experiment using ice cubes and clay. They explain the consequences of...
Curated OER
The Buoyancy Factor
Learners examine why some objects float in water while others sink and the ability of something to float does not depend entirely on its weight. Archimedes' principle is introduced and buoyant force is discussed. Practice calculations...