Floaters and Sinkers

Floaters and Sinkers

Skills

observing

communicating

comparing

organizing

Materials

water

pepper

pie tin

spoon

liquid dish soap

paper towels

Doing the Activity

1. Fill the pie tin about half full of water.

2. Gently sprinkle pepper on top of the water.

3. What can be keeping the pepper on the top of the water?

4. Dribble a drop of liquid soap down the SIDE of the pan.

5. What happens to the pepper?

6. Empty your pie tin and dry it out with a paper towel.

7. Fill pie tin half full with water and gently sprinkle the pepper on top.

8. Place a drop of soap in the MIDDLE or CENTER of the pan.

9. Describe what happens.

Talking it over

Compare the first and second experiment. How are they alike? How are they different?

Can you think of other things that you have seen that are floaters? sinkers?

Have you ever seen something else that is a floater become a sinker?

Why do you think that you add soap to water when you want to clean something?

What's Happening

Water is a wonderful substance. It has qualities that make it the most important liquid on earth. One of those qualities is that water has surface tension. This means that the water molecules hug to each other and form a surface that is not easy to break. Objects can lay on water and be supported by the surface. Some substances break that surface tension so that water can do work for us. One of those surface tension breakers is soap.

More Challenges

Do the experiment using solid soap instead of liquid soap.

Try using a spoon and mixing the pepper in the water. What happens?

Try floating other objects on top of the water surface tension.

Activity Source

Sherwood, Elizabeth. More Mudpies To Magnets: Science For Young Children. Maryland: Gryphon House, Inc., 1990.

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	Floaters and Sinkers
	Skills observing communicating comparing organizing
	Materials water pepper pie tin spoon liquid dish soap paper towels
	Doing the Activity 1. Fill the pie tin about half full of water. 2. Gently sprinkle pepper on top of the water. 3. What can be keeping the pepper on the top of the water? 4. Dribble a drop of liquid soap down the SIDE of the pan. 5. What happens to the pepper? 6. Empty your pie tin and dry it out with a paper towel. 7. Fill pie tin half full with water and gently sprinkle the pepper on top. 8. Place a drop of soap in the MIDDLE or CENTER of the pan. 9. Describe what happens.
	Talking it over Compare the first and second experiment. How are they alike? How are they different? Can you think of other things that you have seen that are floaters? sinkers? Have you ever seen something else that is a floater become a sinker? Why do you think that you add soap to water when you want to clean something? What's Happening Water is a wonderful substance. It has qualities that make it the most important liquid on earth. One of those qualities is that water has surface tension. This means that the water molecules hug to each other and form a surface that is not easy to break. Objects can lay on water and be supported by the surface. Some substances break that surface tension so that water can do work for us. One of those surface tension breakers is soap.
	More Challenges Do the experiment using solid soap instead of liquid soap. Try using a spoon and mixing the pepper in the water. What happens? Try floating other objects on top of the water surface tension.
	Activity Source Sherwood, Elizabeth. More Mudpies To Magnets: Science For Young Children. Maryland: Gryphon House, Inc., 1990.