Why do some things float and others sink?
Around us, we have lots of different matter. We have solids, liquids and gases and we call them the "states of matter". One thing that these states of matter they have in common is that they all have a particular density. Density is the reason why some things float and other things sink.
Did you know? Water and ice are made up of the same elements. However, they have different densities. Ice is less dense than water and so it floats.
In today's lesson, we are going to use our knowledge of the density of substances to our advantage to make something pretty cool. We will also have the opportunity to hear from an amazingly creative Irish lady called Kate Delaney.
Kate is the founder and CEO of Make Create Innovate and she will be telling us about why STEAM is so important for her and where she gets her creative inspiration from.
Before you begin to watch the episode, please gather the equipment you will need for the maker challenge and experiment:
So, if you have your equipment ready, let's go and learn more with the DreamSpace team and their special guest, Kate Delaney.
Hopefully, now you can see why an understanding of density actually explains a lot about the things we see around us and if they float or sink. The DreamSpace team want the learning and fun to continue for you at home. Why not try the following?
- Plan and construct your very own Lava Lamp.
- Create a rainbow of Lava Lamps (3-4 colours) and test if temperature of the water effects the reaction.
- Test out what other objects you could add to your Lava Lamp to make it more interesting.
- Check out the "MyPlace" challenge outlined by Kate Delaney over at www. makecreateinnovate.ie
Download our planning sheets here to help with your preparation of the lava lamps and to note anything you learn along the way.
