Activity
Whatever Floats (or Sinks) Your Can
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Abstract
In this activity, based on a popular chemical demonstration, groups of students test whether several cans of carbonated sodas will float or sink when placed in water. The purpose of this activity is to determine which property of the sodas (caffeine content, soda color, or sugar content) is responsible for whether the soda cans float or sink. This activity is intended to introduce students to the concept of density in an inquiry-based manner, and is also useful in teaching students the importance of controlling variables and making meaningful comparisons.
Keywords (Audience):
Elementary / Middle School ScienceKeywords (Domain):
Laboratory InstructionKeywords (Feature):
JCE Classroom ActivityKeywords (Pedagogy):
Inquiry-Based / Discovery LearningKeywords (Subject):
Consumer ChemistryCiting Articles
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This article has been cited by 2 ACS Journal articles (2 most recent appear below).

JCE Classroom Activity #108. Using Archimedes’ Principle To Explain Floating and Sinking Cans
Michael J. SangerJournal of Chemical Education2011 88 (3), 272-273JCE Classroom Activity #108. Using Archimedes’ Principle To Explain Floating and Sinking Cans
Michael J. SangerJournal of Chemical Education2011 88 (3), 272-273In this activity, students (working alone or in groups) measure the mass of several soda cans (diet and regular soda) along with the mass of water that each can displaces. The students are then asked to compare these two mass values for the sinking cans ...

Using Soda Cans To Teach Physical Science Students about Density
Mark M. LaPorte , Michael J. Sanger and Teari C. HumphreysJournal of Chemical Education2009 86 (2), 209Using Soda Cans To Teach Physical Science Students about Density
Mark M. LaPorte , Michael J. Sanger and Teari C. HumphreysJournal of Chemical Education2009 86 (2), 209In this experiment, physical science students measured the mass of several soda cans, measured the mass and volume of water displaced when these cans were placed in water, and determined whether these cans sank or floated in water. Then, the students ...
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History
- Received: August 03, 2009
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