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The Shape of Floatation
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In this activity (on page 2 of the PDF under GPS: Sailboat Design Activity), learners will discover how the shape of an object, not just its weight, determines whether it floats or sinks.
Salt 'n Lighter
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In this activity, learners discover that as the salinity of water increases, the density increases as well. Learners prove this by attempting to float fresh eggs in saltwater and freshwater.
Cartesian Diver
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In this demonstration, learners observe the effects of density and pressure. A "diver" constructed out of a piece of straw and Blu-Tack will bob inside a bottle filled with water.
Descartes' Diver
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In this activity, learners explore how changes in fluid pressure affect the buoyancy of a Cartesian diver inside a plastic soda bottle.
Chemical Change
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In this chemistry activity, learners explore the amount of copper in a new penny. Learners use toilet bowl cleaner to hollow out the interior of a penny with zinc inside.
Submarine: Soda Cup Lander
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In this activity (on page 2), learners create a submarine using a plastic cup. This is a fun way to learn about buoyancy and density.
Deep Sea Diver
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In this ocean engineering activity, learners explore buoyancy and water displacement. Then, learners design models of deep sea divers that are neutrally buoyant.
Float My Boat
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In this activity, learners use tinfoil to build and test their own boats - which designs will float, and which will sink?
Exploring the Ocean with Robots
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In this activity, learners are introduced to robotic submarines called gliders. Learners make “gliders” from plastic syringes and compare these to Cartesian bottles and plastic bubbles.
Trash Traits
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In this activity on page 24, learners perform experiments to examine whether or not trash can float, blow around, or wash away.
The Great Plankton Race
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In this activity, learners are challenged to design a planktonic organism that will neither float like a cork nor sink like a stone.
Above Water: Buoyancy & Displacement
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In an investigation called "Shape It!" learners craft tiny boats out of clay, set them afloat on water and then add weight loads to them, in order to explore: how objects stay afloat in water; what th
Weighty Questions
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In this activity about humans and space travel (page 1 of PDF), learners compare and contrast the behavior of a water-filled plastic bag, both outside and inside of a container of water.
Uplifting Force: Buoyancy & Density
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In this investigation, learners explore the force known as buoyancy by placing various objects into water and observing how they behave (for example, which sink more quickly, which float, how much wat
Test Density with a Supersaturated Solution
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Learners create three solutions with different levels of salinity. They compare the density of these solutions by coloring them and layering them in a clear plastic cup and in a soda bottle.
Dive into Design
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Based of the The Tech Challenge 2015, learners will engage in two mini-design challenges related to seismic engineering.
Sink It
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Learners classify a variety of objects by their characteristics. They then design an experiment to determine which objects float or sink in water and add this characteristic to their classification.
Plankton Races
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In this two-part activity, learners investigate buoyancy, density and surface area as well as biodiversity and the relationship between the structure and function of organisms.
Ships Ahoy!
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Design a vessel that tests the limits of wind power given a set of off the shelf and recycled materials.
Draggin' Boats
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Learners design, build, and test models of "dragon boats" made from up to three milk cartons.