Our last big science activity for the year was with the densities of liquids. They had seven liquids: syrup, honey, dish soap, water, vegetable oil, isopropyl alcohol, and baby oil. (The water was dyed blue and the rubbing alcohol dyed red so that the students could easily see the layers. The baby oil is on top and is clear.) The students predicted the order of the liquids, from most dense to least dense. We then poured in each liquid and observed the order. Next, I gave them the seven densities (as decimals), and they had to match them to the correct liquid based on the layers. Afterwards, we placed in four small cylinders made of different materials and observed where they stayed in relation to the liquids. Our discussion included using our math knowledge of decimals to give the approximate density of each solid cylinder based on the given density of each liquid. Here are some pictures from that day:
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