Why Boats float and coins sink?
Why does curling up into a ball with your arms around your legs cause you to sink in the water but when you extend your body out flat in a pool you float? Basically, everything has to do with buoyancy, a small scientific fact that affects how much water is pushing against you. Do you wish to test this for yourself?
Things you need:
Basin of water
Clay
Instructions:
- Divide a piece of clay into two pieces of the same size.
- One of the pieces should be rolled into a ball.
- Take the other piece and form it into a flat item in the shape of a boat ( if needed, ask for help from your mom or dad)
- Now, put both pieces into a basin filled with water.
Which one floats and which one sinks? Both? Neither?
Watch out for this clay boat experiment:
Explanation:
The object floats if its entire surface area in contact with the water is large enough. The object must push aside or displace an equivalent (or equal) volume of liquid in order to make room for its own volume. The water is under a downward force from the object, while the item is under an upward force from the water. The weight of floating things is equally important. When a solid body has displaced exactly enough water to match its own initial weight, it floats.
This concept is known as BUOYANCY. Compared to its weight in air, an object appears to lose weight when submerged in a liquid.
In simple words:
The shape of an object can also affect whether it floats or sinks. A ball of clay sinks right away when placed in water. Clay, however, will float if it is flattened out into the shape of a vessel.
Guest 2 years ago