Science Experiments

Posts Tagged ‘science experiment display’

Question: What is a good science fair project on density & how would I go about completing it?

I have a science fair experiment due in exactly one week from today. I had planned to do a different experiment but I don’t have the materials needed. What is a density project I can do that will get me an A, be kind of simple to complete, and have a cool display. I’d prefer something where I was changing the density of something by doing something. (Ex: Egg flotation: Changing the density of water to make an egg float, submerge, or sink.) If you know how to do an egg flotation project that would be great please notify me. I need answers ASAP!!!

Answer: To whom it may concern:

Here is what I would do: (Pick One)
1. Get an empty film cartridge, and demonstrate how the combined mass of the plastic cartridge would normally make it sink (to show this, place only the cartridge in the water without the lid), and then tell how by adding air to the cartridge and sealing it with a lid, the amount of air inside can overcome the mass of the cartridge and thereby making it float.
2. (Your egg idea) Place an egg in the water an demonstrate how the egg sinks when placed in. Next, crack the egg and put the yolk to the side, and place the egg in a new bowl of water, and demonstrate how these sik as well. Now, here is where you will really suprise yuour teacher. Take a full egg (try this once at home, just to verify) and carefully but it on the top of the water. If an egg will work, it should now float. This is known as hydrogen bonding. You see, when you just drop the egg in the water, the rate at which the fluid is displaced is too fast for the water to try and support it. But, if you were to put the egg on the surface slowly, the hydrogen atoms in the water will bond with other atoms and created a some-what sturdy net that keeps the egg afloat. This will be really cool to show your classmates and it will amaze your teacher (if you haven’t learned this already). WARNING: The overall mass of the egg might make it not stay afloat, even with the hydrogen bonding. If it doesn’t work with the egg, I would try something else that does work; afterall, you do have a week.
3. Once you have chosen an idea, then you should also try some other ways to change the density of the actual water. The easiest way that I can think of would be to test water at different temperatures, and I would achieve this by using different temperatures of water that come out of your science classroom’s water tap. If you really want to get fancy, try finding a small, portable stove around your house and asking the school if you can bring it in and deliver it immediately to your science teacher on the day of the project.

I hope that I have been a source of help.

Sincerely,
Young Einstein

Magnetic levitation experiment