5. Identify whether the following statements are true or false: a. Water sinks in mercury. b. Steel floats in mercury. c. Ice floats in paraffin oil. d. Cork floats in water.
e. Water floats in paraffin oil. f. Ice floats in water. g. Cork sinks in blood.
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION 26.3 Which objects float or sink in water?
Equipment Large beaker Water
Suggested substances to test Oil Wood
Fruit Cork
Method 1. Fill a large beaker two-thirds full with water.
2. Place each test substance into the water one by one to see if they float or sink. If you are testing oil, leave this until last, as it may take a while to settle.
3. Record your results. Cork Wood Ice Metal
SAFETY • Clear up any spills immediately.
Metal
Water
Water :Fig. 26.9 To show which objects float or sink in water j Go to page 78 of your Experimental Investigations Log to write up this investigation. Eureka
Greek scientist Archimedes (fourth century BCE) was the first to discover that the increase in water level when an object is placed into it is equal to the volume of the object. This allowed him to calculate an object’s density. When he made this discovery, he is reported to have shouted ‘Eureka!’, which means ‘I have found it!’ To test his theory, he put the king’s crown into water and compared its volume to the volume of a pure gold bar of the same mass. When they showed different volumes but the same mass, he knew their density must be different and therefore that the crown was not pure gold.