Density Experiment

Supplies:

1.       Clear plastic cup or a glass jar

2.       Water

3.       Oil (I used Corn Oil but any cooking oil will work)

4.       Small Objects: Macaroni noodle, paper clip, Lego, buttons, etc.)

5.       Paper

6.       Pen or Pencil

First, fill you cup half-way with oil.

Second, fill it up the rest of the way with water. Notice that the water sinks to the bottom of the cup and the oil floats to the top because oil has less density than water.

Third, make three columns on a piece of paper. List all the objects you will be using in the first column. Write Water at the top of the second column and Oil at the top of the third column.

Fourth, place your first object in the cup. Observe where the object comes to rest.

If it floats at the top of the cup, the object has less density than oil and water. If the object sinks through the oil but floats on top of the water, the object has a greater density than oil but a smaller density than water. If the object sinks to the bottom of the cup, it has a greater density than oil and water.

For each object write SINK or FLOAT in the Water column and in the Oil column. See if you can guess the density of the object.