Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanography Institute: Activity: Demo for Density
In this experiment, students look at Deep Hypersaline Anoxic Basins, or DHABs, that are present in the Eastern Mediterranean, and make a model of a DHAB to investigate how liquids that have different densities can form layers. This...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Sinking Water: Glaciers, Ocean Currents and Weather Patterns
A instructional activity where students learn how warm water is less dense than cold water, and what this means for global climate change as ice from the polar regions melts. Students will do experiments in buoyancy and water density...
National Association of Geoscience Teachers
Nagt: Density Mystery Canisters
Students experiment with items that sink or float, and learn that water's density is equal to one, and objects/solutions with a density greater than one will sink, and those with a density less than one will float.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Changing the Density of a Liquid: Heating and Cooling
In this activity, students will investigate whether the temperature of water affects its density. Students will place colored hot and cold water in a cup of room-temperature water to see that cold water sinks while hot water floats. Then...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Environmental Engineering and Water Chemistry
Students are introduced to the fundamentals of environmental engineering as well as the global air, land and water quality concerns facing today's environmental engineers. After a lesson and activity to introduce environmental...
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: Stuff to Do: Density of Salty Water
An experiment to test what happens when ocean water hits a freshwater estuary. Each step is demonstrated with photographs and the difference between salinity and density is explained.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Sinking and Floating Water
An experiment in density where colored water, both hot and cold, are poured into containers of water at room temperature. Students will observe that the warm water rises and the cold water sinks due to their different densities.
Science Fun for Everyone
Science Fun: Water Fireworks
In this science experiment, you will learn about density while making water fireworks!
Other
Lapeer County Schools Science Resources: Density Lab
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.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Hot and Cold Water Experiment
Demonstrate the relationship between water temperature and density using two clear plastic soda bottles.
Hunkins Experiments
Hunkin's Experiments: See if a Ring Is Pure Gold
Hunkin's Experiments is a group of simple cartoon illustrations of scientific principles. Some would work well in the classroom, but others have little value beyond entertaining students. All of the projects are easy to do. This one...
Other
Steve Spangler Science: Denver's Brown Cloud
Learn how fluids move through our atmosphere and water. This experiment explains atmospheric convection currents (thunderstorms), the Gulf Stream, and temperature inversion. A video is included.
SEDL
Oceans [Pdf]
This large PDF file integrates math, science, and language into several lessons about characteristics of the oceans. Topics include ocean currents, tides, density, marine life, and pollution.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Layering Liquids
A lab activity to show students how different densities of liquid layer on top of each other by using four different colored liquids that contain different levels of salinity. This activity can also be used in an ocean unit where...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Anchors Away
In this activity, the students will discover the relationship between an object's mass and the amount of space it takes up (its volume). The students will learn about the concept of displacement and how an object can float if it...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Sink or Float: All Liquids Do Not Have the Same Density
An experiment in density. After a review of floating and sinking of different materials, students test four bottles, all holding four ounces of water, to see if they will float or sink. They each contain a different density of sugar...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Dirtmeister's Science Lab: That Sinking Feeling
Simple experiments dealing with water temperature and density that you can complete in the lab and at home.
Other
Beloit College: K 12 Geology
This is a good source of basic information about density currents in water. It includes simple activities you can do to demonstrate these currents.
PBS
Pbs, Secrets of the Ocean Realm: Mountain in the Sea
This experiment allows your students to study the effect of temperature on water motion and also to create their own density driven current.
Science is Fun
Fun Science: Sinking and Floating Soda Cans
Why do some pop cans float in water while others don't? This easy experiment is a great example of the principle of density.
Science is Fun
Science Is Fun: Bowling Balls Float or Sink?
In this experiment, you test whether two different bowling balls will float or sink, then determine the density of each of the balls to see if they are less than that of water.
Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics: G Mg Archimedes and the King's Crown
The King of Syracuse reportedly requested Archimedes' advice for determining if a crown was made with the appropriate mixture of gold and silver. The problem asks young scholars to find the amount of water displaced in Archimedes'...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Eureka! Or Buoyancy and Archimedes' Principle
Students explore material properties in hands-on and visually evident ways via the Archimedes' principle. First, they design and conduct an experiment to calculate densities of various materials and present their findings to the class....
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Buoyancy of Floating Cylinders
This project presents an interesting puzzle. A disk of wood will float face-up, that is, with its circular cross-section parallel to the surface of the water. A long log of wood, however, floats with the circular cross-section...