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MATERIALS:

  • 2 liter bottle

  • Pipette

  • Hex nut

PROJECT SIX:

THINGS THAT FLOAT

Finished Product

Side note: I switched my 2 liter bottles because my green bottle had a hole in the bottom of it!

Construction Steps:

  1. Attach hex nut to pipette, then cut some of the pipette so you are only left with about half a centimeter on the end.

  2. Fill the pipette with water. You want about 3/4 of the bubble on the top to be filled with water. Tap the end of the pipette to make the water drip down, and squeeze excess water out until you have the perfect amount. 

  3. Fill your 2 liter bottle with water

  4. Seal your bottle off, and now you have the perfect Cartesian Diver experiment!

Need some more help to construct your Cartesian Diver?

 

 

Check out the video below!

CARTESIAN DIVER

ORANGE EXPERIMENT

MATERIALS:

  • 2 glass jars (or any 2 transparent containers)

  • 1 unpeeled orange (I used Clementines, but any kind of orange will do)

  • 1 peeled orange (I used Clementines, but any kind of orange will do)

CONSTRUCTION STEPS:

  1. Fill your jars, or containers, with water (at least 3/4 of the way, if not completely full)

  2. Peel one of your oranges

  3. Drop both in and see if they sink or float.

WHY THIS WORKS

At first glance, it seems like the unpeeled orange is more dense, just because it is heavier. However, when it is dropped in the water, it floats. Why is that? The peel actually has air pockets, making it more porous, allowing it to float. When the peel is removed, the orange no longer has anything filled with air to keep it afloat, so it sinks. Think of the peel as a sort of floatation device for the orange. Once this is removed, the orange sinks.

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