You may have seen large ships made of metal or other materials floating in water instead of sinking, In this experiment, we are going to find out how a heavy ship floats.
Things Required:
20 paper clips
Aluminium foil
Ruler
Bucket of water
Directions:
Cut two 12 inches (30 cm) squares from the aluminium foil. Wrap one of the metal squares around 10 paper clips and squeeze the foil into a tight ball. Fold the four edges of the second aluminium square up to make a small square pan. Place 10 paper clips in the metal pan. Set the metal pan on the surface of the water in the bucket. Place the metal ball on the surface of the water.
This Is What Happens:
The metal pan floats and
the ball sinks.
Science Behind It:
Both the ball and the pan have the same weight, but the ball takes up a smaller space than does the pan. The amount of water pushed aside by an object equals the force of water pushing upward on the object. The ball pushes less water out of its way than does the larger pan, and thus there is not enough upward force to cause it to float. Large ships are very heavy, but they have hollow compartments filled with air, which increases their buoyancy.
