🧪 Science with Sarah: Density Towers

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👉 Watch the video of Sarah’s school science experiment at Forester Elementary here!

Hello parents, teachers and students! If you’re looking for a fun way to explore the physical properties of density with your elementary-aged kids, this experiment is for you!

Be sure to check out GMSA@9 on Wednesdays when Meteorologist Sarah Spivey does the demonstrations and explains the science behind it. Check out our Science with Sarah webpage for more fun science experiments!

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • Vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup measuring cup
  • A clear cup
  • Metal bolt
  • A bottle cap
  • Tiny piece of sponge

DO THE EXPERIMENT

  • STEP 1: Put 1/3 cup of water in a clear cup mixed with a little food dye
  • STEP 2: Put 1/3 cup syrup into the same clear cup. The syrup should sink to the bottom
  • STEP 3: Put 1/3 cup vegetable oil in the clear cup. The oil should float on top of the water
  • STEP 4: One-by-one place the nut, grape, bottle cap, and sponge into the cup. They should sink or float at different levels inside of the cup. Here’s what it looks like:
A density tower with syrup at the bottom, water in the middle, and oil on top. (Copyright 2024 by KSAT – All rights reserved.)

HOW IT WORKS

This is a great example of density. Of the liquids, the syrup is the densest and sinks to the bottom. Water is the second densest and floats on top of the syrup. Oil is the least dense and floats on top of both the water and syrup.

SCIENCE WITH SARAH

If you’d like Sarah to come to your school and conduct a science experiment live on KSAT, fill out this form. “Winners” are selected at random.