How can large things float on water, when a little stone sinks to the bottom of the sea?
The Theory: The Archimedes’ Principle states that an object immersed in a liquid is buoyed upwards by a force equal to the weight of the liquid displaced by that object. Thus, he concluded that a floating object displaces an amount of liquid equal to its own weight. Kitchen Science Experiments: Take two identical pieces of modelling clay. Make one into a ball, and the other into a flattened boat shape, then place each of them onto the surface of a sink full of water. What happens? Next, put one of your hands flat on the surface of the water, and make a fist with the other. Which hand is more difficult to push into the water? Now, blow up a balloon and put it into the water. Does it sink or float? Can you push it underwater? Is it easy to push it downwards, or difficult? Watch what happens to the water level as you push down on the balloon. What’s happening? Finally, sort some objects into groups, depending on whether you think they will float or sink. Were you right? How can you use wh
