ingridscience

Floating, sinking and buoyancy

Summary
Do a series of activities that explore the topic.
Curriculum connection (2005 science topic)
Physical Science: Force and Motion (grade 1)
Physical Science: Properties of Matter (grade 2)
Procedure

Start with Sinking and floating free experimentation.
Then a selection of activities from:
Dancing raisins.
Cartesian Diver.
Oil and water sinking and floating.

Explain each in terms of floating, sinking and buoyancy:
An object sinks if:
The water it displaces weighs less than the object (object more dense than water).
Force of gravity on the mass is a greater force than buoyancy pushing up.
An object floats if:
The water it displaces weighs more than the object (less dense than water).
Force of gravity on the mass is less than buoyancy.
Object moves until gravity and buoyancy are balanced.

Optional extension to lesson:
When an object is small enough, another force, surface tension can enable it to float.
Surface tension is the attraction of water molecules for each other, so that they make a kind of skin on the surface of the water, that can take a little weight before breaking.
Do the surface tension activities.

Optional art extension to lesson:
Paper marbling

Notes

Started this lesson with cans of soda in water. The diet cans are meant to float and the non-diet ones sink, due to their different densities (regular sugar is more dense than diet sugars). But diet cans were not the only floaters - regular coke floated too. Sprite and Canada Dry did sink, as expected. Need to test again with more samples.

Grades taught
Gr 1
Gr 2
Gr 3
Gr 4
Gr 5

Cartesian diver

Summary
By squeezing a bottle of water, make an object rise and fall inside it.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Physical Science: Force and Motion (grade 1)
Physical Science: Properties of Matter (grade 2)
Materials
  • soda bottle with tight cap
  • water
  • eye dropper
Procedure

Fill the bottle with water, to the brim.
Fill the eye dropper half full with water, until it just floats in the top of the bottle.
Top up the bottle with water and cap.

Squeeze the bottle to make the pipette sink.
Release to make it float again.

When the bottle is squeezed, air is compressed in the dropper as water enters it. This makes it more dense, so it no longer floats in the water.
When the bottle is released, the water leaves the pipette again, the pipette contains more air again. The air is therefore less dense again, so the pipette floats.

Human divers use weights to increase their density when diving.
Lifejackets decrease density, to enable a person to float better.
Submarines use tanks of compressed air to control their buoyancy. When ballast tanks are filled with water, the submarine sinks. When the ballast tanks are filled with air from the tanks, the submarine's overall density is decreased so it rises.

Notes

Idea to elaborate - make the diver with a pen cap and clay, and make it hook paper clips from the bottom (file in photo folder).
Use a condiment package: https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/condiment-diver

Grades taught
Gr 4
Gr 5

Magnetic Field Patterns in oil

Summary
Make patterns with iron filings in oil. Back with colour to make an art piece to photograph. This activity is messy.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Physical Science: Force and Motion (grade 1)
Physical Science: Forces and Simple Machines (grade 5)
Materials
  • glass plates e.g. from picture frames
  • vegetable oil, or other clear oil
  • iron filings
  • pipette
  • magnets, weaker ceramic ones work best
  • coloured paper
  • camera to record artwork
Procedure

This activity is messy, and best done in a tray. Probably not suitable for a whole class, but for breakout groups with an attending adult.

Add a puddle of oil to one glass plate, spread out a little, then sprinkle iron filings on it.
Slowly lower the second glass plate, to avoid air bubbles. Add more oil from the edges with a pipette if necessary.
Move the top glass plate in a circular motion over the lower glass plate, to spread out the iron filings.
Use a magnet over the top glass plate to draw patterns in the iron filings.
Once a design is completed, slide a coloured piece of paper below the lower glass plate, being careful not to get oil on it, then photograph.

Notes

A simpler way to capture iron filings art - make iron filings pattern on a paper plate, spray with vinegar (will make rust). Allow to dry then brush of filings to leave the field pattern in rust. https://scientistinresidence.ca/pdf/physical-science/Concepts%20in%20El…

Grades taught
Gr 4
Gr 5

Speaker

Summary
Make a simple speaker.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Physical Science: Force and Motion (grade 1)
Physical Science: Light and Sound (grade 4)
Physical Science: Electricity (grade 6)
Materials
  • magnet wire, about 60cm
  • sandpaper
  • sharpie, dry erase pen, or other cylinder with similar diameter
  • tape
  • plastic or paper drinking cup
  • old headphone wire with jack (remove headphones)
  • wire strippers, or scissors will work
  • tin foil
  • round magnet, a dollar store ceramic magnet works, a stronger rare earth magnet works better
  • iPod, iPhone, or boom box with headphone jack
Procedure

Remove the insulation from the last couple of cm of the magnet wire, at both ends, with the sandpaper.
Wrap the magnet wire around and around the pen, to make a coil. Leave 4cm at each end free. Remove from the pen and twist the ends together a few times to secure the coil. The uncoated ends should not be touching.
Tape the coil to the bottom of the cup, with the coil lying flat.
With the headphones removed from the headphone jack, strip the insulation off to reveal the bare wires underneath. Twist any strands of wire together to hold them together. Twist each headphone wire around each of the magnet wire ends, then wrap each in foil to make a good connection.

Start the music on the music player, plug in the headphone jack and turn up the volume.
Hold the cup against your ear with one hand, and hold the magnet against the coil with the other.
You should hear the music, maybe quite quietly. A stronger magnet, or multiple magnets, will make it louder.

The electrical signal through the coil from the music player, turns the coil into an electromagnet. The magnetic field changes with the changing electric signal of the music.
When the magnet is placed against the coil, it alternately attracts and repels the changing electromagnet's field, so pushing then pulling the coil away from it. This pushes the bottom of the cup in and out, which in turn, pushes the air near it back and forth. This is a sound wave is magnified by the cup, so that we can hear it.

Notes

From the Exploratorium afterschool activities: www.exploratorium.edu/afterschool/activities/index.php?activity=173

Grades taught
Gr 4
Gr 5

Magnet stations and more magnets/electromagnets

Summary
Free play at several stations to figure out how magnets work. Then guided activities to explore other uses of magnets: compass, electromagnet, magnet art.
Curriculum connection (2005 science topic)
Physical Science: Force and Motion (grade 1)
Physical Science: Forces and Simple Machines (grade 5)
Procedure

This is a long lesson.

Run magnet stations with a small selection of activities.

Follow with a group magnet activity:
Ask what is the biggest magnet they can think of.... the Earth. Make the compass.
Make your own magnet using electricity. Make the electromagnet.
Make a device that works with a magnet:a speaker.
For a messy but beautiful art project, make and photograph magnetic field patterns in oil.

Look at images of devices that use magnets: door buzzer, speaker, maglev train, scrap yard magnet.

Grades taught
Gr 2
Gr 4
Gr 5

Levitating magnets

Summary
Stack ring magnets on a stick, so that they repell each other and "float".
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Physical Science: Force and Motion (grade 1)
Physical Science: Forces and Simple Machines (grade 5)
Materials
  • several ring magnets
  • a skewer that the ring magnets can fit over
Procedure

Cap each end of a stick with 3 or 4 repelling magnets along the stick.
Students free play with their own stick.

Notes

Cheaper ceramic magnets break easily when students free play.

Grades taught
Gr 1
Gr 2
Gr 3
Gr 4
Gr 5

Chromatography with coloured candy

Summary
Separate the colours in candy coatings using chromatography, to find out what dyes make up their colour.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Physical Science: Chemistry (grade 7)
Materials
  • candies with coloured coatings. Chocolate smarties work well, also skittles
  • water
  • paint tray or shallow container
  • skewers
  • coffee filter papers, white
  • scissors
  • dropper pipettes e.g. eye dropper from drug store
  • mini binder clips
  • plastic tub e.g. yogurt tub
Procedure

Please note that in a class of students it is likely that one of them is at least partially colourblind (1 in 12 males are colourblind). As this is an activity distinguishing colours, these students will not be able to tell some colours apart and perceive some colours differently, although the activity will be no less interesting for them. The common red/green colour blindness means reds and greens (or colours containing reds and greens such as browns) look similar. More information at colourblindawareness.org and colorblindguide.com/post/the-advantage-of-being-colorblind.

Add a candy and only a drop of water to a well of the paint tray.
Use a stick to turn the candy over and release the colour from its coating. Add one more drop of water if necessary, but keep the colour as concentrated as possible.

Cut a strip of filter paper the correct length to hang into the tub from the skewer with a binder clip. It's end should be about 1.5cm above the bottom of the tub.
Then remove the filter paper and add 1cm water to the tub.

Add a drop of candy dye to one end of the filter paper, at least one cm from the end, using the stick dipped in the candy juice.
Allow it to dry a little, then add another drop, allow to dry, then add another drop.

Attach the binder clip to the end of the filter paper strip away from the dye drop.
Slide the binder clip onto a skewer and lay the skewer over the top of the tub, so that the filter paper just touches the water, but the spot of dye is not immersed in the water.

Allow the chromatogram to run for several minutes, until the colours have moved most of the way up the filter paper.

The colours have different abilities to dissolve in water, and attach to the filter paper surface. All the coloured molecules move with the water, then stick on the paper, then move with the water again, but each different colour sticks to the paper or moves with the water to different extents. Hence the colours move at different rates up the paper and are separated out.

Try with different coloured candies to find out what colours make up each dye.
Compare different candies to see if the same colour is made up of the same component colours.

Grades taught
Gr 3
Gr 5
Gr 6
Gr 7

Helicopter and launcher

Summary
Make a simple cardboard helicopter, and a launcher that spins it for take off.
Science topic (2005 curriculum connection)
Physical Science: Force and Motion (grade 1)
Physical Science: Forces and Simple Machines (grade 5)
Materials
  • one long pencil and two short pencils
  • tape
  • cardboard e.g. cereal box
  • scissors
Procedure

Make sure the short pencils have good points.
As shown in the photo, lay the long pencil between the two short pencils, with the points of the short pencils above the end of the long pencil. Tape together.
Make a rectangle of cardboard.
Using the points of the short pencils, push holes in the centre of the cardboard rectangle. Use a pin or other sharp object to help if needed.
As shown, bend two opposite corners of the cardboard slightly, in opposite directions, to make crude helicopter blades.

To launch, hold the pencils upright, using the holes in the cardboard, rest the helicopter on the pencil tips.
Spin the launcher rapidly, by spinning the long pencil between two flat hands (look at the position of the hands in the two photos).
The helicopter will lift off the launcher and rise a little before spinning off sideways.

Play with the size of the cardboard, the angle and size of the bends in the cardboard.
How high can it fly?

The forces involved:
As it spins, the bends in the cardboard direct the flow of air downwards. The push of air downwards, results in an equal and opposite reaction (Newton's Third Law) pushing back up against the helicopter. This is the force of "lift", which keeps it up in the air.
Eventually as the spin slows, the lift is not as great, and the force of gravity pulling it to the ground dominates and it falls.

Notes

TEST FIRST - it can be tricky to make work reliably
From: www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/experiments/exp/build-your-own-helicopt…

Grades taught
Gr 4
Gr 5

Shooter

Summary
Make a powerful shooter of foil balls, or coins, from a toilet roll and a balloon. Convert to a rocket launcher.
Materials
  • toilet roll
  • balloon
  • scissors
  • duct tape
  • foil, or other objects to fire. Coins are effective but dangerous
  • optional to turn into a rocket launcher: stiff tubes (e.g. poster, foil, cling wrap tubes, various diameters), flat cardboard or light styrofoam to make fins
Procedure

For a simple (but very powerful) shooter:
Cut the neck off the balloon and fit it over the end of the toilet roll, leaving a pocket hanging.
Tape securely all around with duct tape.
To fire:
Drop the ammunition down the tube.
Grab the balloon pocket along with the ammunition.
Pull the balloon back, aim well, and let go.

Coins project fast out of this device, so only use with students that can be monitored closely, and who can obey rules around which way to fire and where to stand.
Foil balls still move pretty fast, but are not as dangerous.

The forces involved:
The balloon stores elastic energy as it is pulled back. As it is released it converts this energy to kinetic energy which pushes the ammunition forward. Air resistance eventually slows the ammo down, and gravity pulls it to the ground.

Convert to a rocket launcher/projectile:
Tape the balloon to a stiffer tube, and secure inside a long tube.
Add fins and a streamlined nose to the long tube.
Place the rocket over another long, stiff tube. Pull back the rocket so that the balloons is stretched. Release.

Grades taught
Gr 4
Gr 5

Flying Things

Summary
Dramatic activities on force, motion and energy, making things that fly by various means.
Curriculum connection (2005 science topic)
Physical Science: Force and Motion (grade 1)
Physical Science: Forces and Simple Machines (grade 5)
Physical Science: Chemistry (grade 7)
Procedure

Do a selection of the activities.
Tie together with discussions on force and what makes them fly.

Grades taught
Gr K
Gr 1
Gr 4
Gr 5