Learners examine Boyle's Law by analyzing experimental results with a hands-on lesson that provides a set of four experiments that illustrate the relationship between pressure and volume of gases. Groups analyze results using...

Don't be so dense that light bends around you; study the relationship between mass and volume instead. Young chemists measure the density of a variety of liquids and solids. A reading passage and analysis questions introduce pupils to...

Teach the masses about the metric system with this hands-on measurement lesson. Given a fruit or vegetable, learners estimate, measure, and convert its mass using the metric units gram and kilogram.

Groups suspend objects within layers of liquids to determine the densities of different liquids and compare them to the densities of objects calculated in Part 1. The groups then carefully test their calculations by layering the...

Investigating the large numbers of science is the task in a simple but deep activity. Given a one-sentence problem set-up and some basic assumptions, the class sets off on an open-ended investigation that really gives some...

Mass and density — aren't they the same thing? This activity has groups use balance beams and water displacement to measure several objects. The pupils use the measurements to calculate the density of the objects. 

The difference between sinking and floating may be a little salt. Young experimenters analyze the effect of salt and temperature on the density of water. They use their results to predict the effect of climate change on ocean ecosystems.

Knock a chip off the cookie. Learners purchase a property to mine and mining tools. Pupils use their tools to mine chocolate chips out of a cookie for 5 minutes and return cookie fragments to its original site. After the time is over,...

What happens to a volume when you scale the dimensions of a rectangular prism? In this problem, a box of clay is increased in each dimension, with the intent to see if learners can generalize the result. The addition of...

Don't be dense—use a robust resource. The second installment of a five-part Floaters and Sinkers unit has learners determine the densities of several objects. As part of the activity, they learn the displacement method for finding...

Will the block float? Pupils take measurements to calculate the volume of various blocks of different materials. Using a scale, they determine the mass of each block and then calculate their densities. Scholars finish by ranking the...

Students will determine what an unknown substance is by finding mass, volume, displacement, and density of an object. Students will also create a report which will require them to read a graph, interpret data, calculate averages, and...

Students determine the mass and volume of soil samples and calculate the density of the soils. They use this information to determine the suitability of the soil to support a building foundation.

In this first part of a two-part lab activity, students use triple balance beams and graduated cylinders to take measurements and calculate the densities of several common, irregularly shaped objects with the purpose to resolve confusion...

A simple lab experiment for students to find the density of two solids and a liquid (does not use water displacement). Note that number 1d should not state "weighs" since mass is being found.

A lab experiment that shows students that different molecules melt in different ways. This lab also allows students to practice calculating and finding density, mass, and volume. Lesson plan includes lab handout for students.

Students use a tension-compression machine or an alternative bone-breaking setup to see how different bones fracture differently and with different amounts of force, depending on their body locations. Teams determine bone mass and...