DISCOVERY DAY 2-23-12

Our Discovery activities today involved floating and sinking.

First, we predicted whether or not an orange would float.  After the predictions, we discovered that an orange does float.

 Next, we peeled the orange and then once again made predictions as to whether or not the peeled orange would float.  Once in the water, the peeled orange sunk!

REASON: The rind of an orange is full of tiny air pockets which help to give the orange a lower density than water.  Removing the rind also gets rid of the air pockets, increasing the density of the orange and causing it to sink.

Our other floating experiment involved an egg and water.  First, we predicted whether or not the egg would float or sink in water.  In pure water, the egg sunk.

We removed the egg from the water and added salt to the water.  Once again, we predicted if the egg would float or sink in the salt water.

 The egg floated in the salt water!

REASON:  Salt water is denser than pure water.  The denser the liquid, the easier it is for an object to float in it.