But how does it float

They can then experiment by putting different amounts of sand into the containers to see how the change in weight affects the level of their floating. The students could also model being an engineer by designing a submarine out of a plastic drink bottle to retrieve a sunken treasure. Introducing more sand into the bottle will increase the weight of the bottle and so increase its weight force resulting in it floating lower in the water.

Scientists are curious and students can model being a scientist by exploring things that can affect whether an object floats such as its shape, weight or the amount or type of liquid used to float it.

This investigations are a perfect opportunity for students to develop experimenting and reporting skills. This story could provide opportunities for students to raise further questions about floating and sinking. Our website uses a free tool to translate into other languages. This tool is a guide and may not be accurate. For more, see: Information in your language. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Please enable scripts and reload this page.

Skip to content. Unfortunately the ship did not make it to its destination. We're glad you're here! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Wonder Friend! We learned about push and pull with our boat Wonder. The water pushes up while the force of gravity pulls down, allowing the boat to float!

We're so glad you enjoyed our adventure on the sea, Aniyah! Science is super cool, especially when we can Wonder with you!

Hey there, Chase! We bet Minnesota was very cold-- we hope you were bundled up! Thanks for sharing your cool comment with us- what a great connection to our boat Wonder!

We're so glad are here to learn something new with us, Laila! The Wonder video and article are full of great information! Thanks for sharing your comment, Victor! We can't wait to Wonder again soon! Great questions, Crystal! We learned that science is a big part of understanding how boats float. The boat has be shaped a certain way in order to float-- so many boats don't even need paddles!

We Wonder if you can make a list of all the different boats you have seen or heard of You can see how some boats have paddles, some have engines, and some need captains! Thank you for sharing your Wonder guess, Duck Dynasty girl!

We think it's great that you're using your imagination with us today! Hey there, Duck Dynasty Girl! We're glad you asked about floating and moving at the same time!

We know that boats can float, but some use an engine to move from place to place. Boats need a force to propel them, or move them forward. However, for smaller boats all you need is a paddle and some upper body strength! Thanks for sharing your comment! We're so glad you're here, Wonder Friend Crystal! Thanks for sharing what you learned about floating objects-- don't forget about the push and pull of forces and gravity!

Science is cool, especially when you can try it out yourself! Great work, Daniel T! Thank you for sharing what you learned about floating and buoyancy today! Shape has a lot to do with an object's ability to float! Hey there, tigerlover! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about today's Wonder- we're glad you did! Great imagination! Boats that are well-made can float, Justin, unless something unfortunate happens like it did for the Titanic.

Nice work, Wonder Friend Nikolas! We're so glad you shared what you know about buoyancy today! Great job! WOW, thanks for sharing your super enthusiastic Wonder comment, happygirl! Science is awesome, just like you pandalover! Thanks for sharing your comment with us and telling us about what you learned today!

Nice work! Great question, Hannah! There are lots of different types of boats-- some have paddles, some have motors, and some have huge engines! Boats can float even if they don't have a motor! How cool! We're happy you found another Wonder that made you smile! Hey there, Wonder Friend Annon! We're glad you asked! This vocabulary word, buoyancy, describes something with the ability to float!

Today's Wonder is all about buoyant boats! Hi there, Wonder Friends in Mrs. Brandon's 3rd Grade! We're so glad to hear you learned something new with us today-- perhaps some of you will construct a boat of your very own in the future! We hear the wavin' wheat, it sure smells sweet in Oklahoma! Hey there, Jesse T! Thanks for telling us about what you learned from today's Wonder! The science of floating is super cool!

We're glad you're here today! Great memories, Gina M! Thanks for connecting your memories and today's Wonder! We're glad you're here, Wonder Friend! See you soon! That's great news, Jade!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about today's Wonder- we're so glad you're here! We're lucky to have a great Wonder Friend like you to share these floating facts, Andre'yanna! You're right, Morgan! It's fun to learn something new each and every day! Thanks for sharing your comment with us today- we'll see you soon!

That's great to hear, Marc, we're so glad you enjoyed today's floating Wonder! We're so glad that our Wonder connects to your lessons in class!! We love to learn new things, especially when we've started studying them in school. Goneau's Class! It depends on the type of boat, but damage to a ship can impact its ability to float. The absolute maximum number of people is 6,!

Hey there, Wonder Friend Mystery! A lot of people thought the Titanic was unsinkable, and unfortunately there were other things that affected its ability to stay above water. Thanks for sharing your comment with us today! Hey there, Wonder Friends Beaux and Kenny! Thanks for sharing all the cool new things you've learned about boats, buoyancy and matter! Great question, Ryan M!

Today's Wonder asks that same question-- how interesting! It's all about displacement, or how much water is moved when something is placed on top of it! A rock is tiny and heavy, and not much water is displaced when you drop it in the water-- it sinks! However, a boat, when built correctly, displaces a lot of water because of its size. We know it can be tricky at first, but give the Wonder another try-- we know you'll get the hang of it!

You're quite right, Wonder Friend Hunter. That's the issue with ships-- they can float, unless they hit something. We're so glad to hear it, Bob! Thanks for visiting us today! What was your favorite part of today's Wonder? We're glad you're here today, Wonder Friend Pink! We like using context clues to help us understand new or big words! Great guess, Hunter! We learned about buoyancy, which relates to the sinking of the Titanic. Great point, Patrick! The very first boats were shells-- even hollowed out logs tied together with reeds!

We're so glad you're here today! Thanks for visiting us today to Wonder about buoyancy, Mrs. Roberts' Class! Have a marvelous Monday! Good morning to our Wonder Friends in Mrs. Plunkert's Class! We learned about a term called displacement, which is hard to see with our own eyes. That's because water is fluid, or always moving. But displacement describes what happens when we put anything in water. Think of when you draw a bath. If you marked the waterline of the bathtub, and then got into the bathtub, you'd see the water rise.

That's displacement! We are so glad you learned a new thing or two with us today. We hope your day is float-tastic! Thanks for sharing your comment, Kenneth V! We're so glad you enjoyed today's floating Wonder-- we sure learned a lot!

The pufferfish sounds really cool, thanks for letting us know what your guess is! Hey there, Wonder Friends in Mrs.

Hess' Class! We're so excited that some of you have been visiting us lately-- even on the weekends! Many believe Egyptians were the first to build ships, but even before then, people would create boats out of logs and bundles of reed. We bet you can find out some more information about the very first boats with some help from your librarian!

We're so proud of you! We're glad you learned something new with us today, Joaquin! Hess' class! Hey there, Wonder Friend Alvaro! The Titanic was believed to be unsinkable, which is why it's an incredibly tragic story.

When the ship hit the iceberg, it damaged the vessel and its ability to safely float. We Wonder what book you're reading? It sounds great! Some Wonder Friends here at Wonderopolis have been on boats before We Wonder if you have traveled by boat? You can do aluminum foil boats and put pennies in them and see if it sinks.

I put pennies in a boat and I am seeing if it will float for 24 Hours. That's a neat idea, austin! Thank you for sharing it. We hope you'll visit Wonderopolis again and let us know how your project goes!

We are excited for you to embark on a Wonder Adventure all about boats! We suggest you visit your library to do research online and in books to find ideas! You could even ask your librarian to help you begin! We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature.

Thanks for your patience. Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:.

Want to add a little wonder to your website? Help spread the wonder of families learning together. We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. How do boats float? What is displacement? Can you build a toy boat that will float? Wonder What's Next? Try It Out Ahoy matey! If so, be sure to explore the following activities with a friend or family member: What kinds of things float? What things tend to sink? Make a list of things that float and sink and compare and contrast the items on your list.

What do the things that sink have in common? What about the things that float? Does that match up with what you learned in today's Wonder of the Day? Don't limit yourself to things in the water either! Can you think of things that float in the air? What about clouds? Have fun brainstorming! Ready for some bathtub fun? Pick out one of the following crafts and make your own homemade boat! Is it seaworthy? Does it float? Test it out against some non-floating objects, such as rocks, to see firsthand the principles discussed in today's Wonder of the Day!

Are you familiar with the story of the Titanic? You probably are. You may have even seen the movie that was made about the famous oceanic disaster. Did you know that the Titanic was called the "unsinkable" ship? Can you imagine that? They sure were wrong, weren't they? Just about anything can be made to sink.

Do some research to learn about the most buoyant things on Earth. Some things just seem to float really well. Think of a ping pong ball, for example. Can you imagine it sinking? Probably not unless there was a hole in it. If you have a ping pong ball, test it out. Will it sink on its own? What about if you put a small hole in it? What do you have to do to make it sink? Can you find any other items that are almost unsinkable? Share your findings with your teachers and classmates at school!

Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words float lazy awesome downward gravity beautiful peaceful collection homemade heavier battleship ancient scientist designed specifically displacement buoyancy disappointed Take the Wonder Word Challenge.

Join the Discussion. Vanessa Mar 14, Thank u 4 this article. It helped me a lot and I will visit it more in the future. John Ryan Dec 4, Daeus Nov 13, Nov 13, When was the ball almost completely submerged or fully submerged but not quite sinking to the bottom?

Do you get the same results with all the aluminum squares you test, or is there a lot of variation? Calculate the volume of the spheres for each diameter, using the fact that the volume of a sphere is equal to four thirds times pi 3. Using the mass and the volumes, compute the average density of the aluminum sheet for each diameter by dividing mass by volume.

At what density did the aluminum ball sink? At what density was the aluminum ball approximately equal to that of water? For each diameter of the sphere, what is the mass of the water that was displaced? For more accurate results, continue testing additional cm aluminum squares. Observations and results Did more and more of the ball end up below the top of the water as the ball's diameter decreased? Was about half of the ball below the water when the ball had a diameter of about 2.

If an object is floating in water, the amount of water that gets displaced weighs the same as the object. Consequently, while it was floating, the ball should have displaced the same amount of water as it decreased in diameter, and so the buoyant force should have remained the same. However, the density of the ball was changing—it increased as the ball's diameter decreased. Density is the mass per unit volume—it describes how much "stuff" is packed into a volume of space.

When the aluminum ball had a diameter of 6. And as long as the ship displaces enough water to create a strong buoyant force, it can stay afloat—even if it is loaded with cargo. As the diameter decreased and density increased, the ball should have sank more and more.

When its diameter was about 1. This is when the ball had a density approximately equal to that of water. With a diameter of about 1. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American.