The Floating Golf-ball Lab:
Sample Questions: What is Matter? What is Density? How can we make a golf-ball float?
Materials: Jars (2 per table)
Plastic knife
Measuring Spoons
Balance Scale with weights
Water
Food coloring
Cling wrap
Paper and pencil
Small jars with salt
Procedures:
1.) Fill jar with water ¾ full with fresh water.
2.) Use paper and pencil to record HOW MUCH salt you use in lab.
3.) Put the golf-ball in the jar filled with water. Record what happens. Why?
4.) Use measuring spoon (tablespoons – Tbl.) and add salt. Put full Tbl. spoons, one spoonful at a time, in jar and STIR, using the plastic knife.
5.) Record what happens.
6.) Repeat steps 4 and 5 UNTIL golf-ball floats to the top of jar.
7.) Add a SMALL AMOUNT of FRESH WATER to the jar (the golf-ball should sink to the middle of the jar).
8.) Mr. Hillman/Mr. Ng will put four drops of food coloring in the jar. DO NOT SHAKE OR STIR! Observe what happens. Why?
9.) Find out how many grams = 1 Tbl. spoon of salt:
a.) Put plastic wrap on tray of balance
b.) Put one (1) Tble. spoon of salt on plastic covered tray.
c.) Add gram weights to balance. Find out gram weight of salt.
d.) Record measurement on your paper. Calculate how many total grams of salt you used to make the golf-ball float.