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This lesson explains the concept of density and its relation to whether objects sink or float in water. It highlights that density is determined by comparing the weight of objects of the same size and that it is a characteristic property of the material, independent of the amount. The lesson uses examples like clay and wood to illustrate these principles.

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3 views

k90k

This lesson explains the concept of density and its relation to whether objects sink or float in water. It highlights that density is determined by comparing the weight of objects of the same size and that it is a characteristic property of the material, independent of the amount. The lesson uses examples like clay and wood to illustrate these principles.

Uploaded by

khalifamh91
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Grade 5 - Lesson 2.

4
Density and Sinking and Floating
Student Reading

Sometimes it’s pretty easy to tell if a certain object will sink or float. An
object like a brick or a stone, which seems heavy for its size, feels like it
should sink, and it does sink. Something like a Styrofoam ball, which
seems light for its size, feels like it should float, and it does float. This
property of how heavy an object is compared to its size is called the
density of the object.

Comparing the Density of Different Materials


If you compare the weight of two objects of the same size and shape
(the same volume), the one that weighs more is more dense. So, if you
weigh a piece of clay and a piece of wood that are the same size and
shape, the clay weighs more than the wood, so the clay is more dense
than the wood.

Density and Sink or Float


Just knowing that clay is more dense than wood doesn’t tell you whether clay or wood will sink
or float in water. To know this, you have to compare the density of these materials to the
density of water. To do this, you could compare the weight of the clay and wood to the weight
of the same volume of water.

Since the clay weighs more than the same


volume of water, the clay is more dense than
water and sinks.

Since the wood weighs less than the same


volume of water, the wood is less dense than
water and floats.

Density is a Characteristic Property of the Material


When it comes to density and sinking and floating, if a whole stone sinks, then half of the same
stone will sink, and so will a quarter of that stone. The same is true with something that floats,
such as wood. Even if you had a piece of wood that was 100 times as big as the small sample
we’ve been talking about, it would still float. This is because density is a property of the
material itself. It does not depend on the amount of material.

Grade 5 - Lesson 2.4 www.acs.org/inquiryinaction


Density and Sinking and Floating 1 ©American Chemical Society 2019

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