Hooked on Science: To float or not to float

We know from experience that some things float in water and others do not float. What about an orange? It all depends on if your orange has a life jacket.

Materials

* Orange

* Water

* Large bowl

Instructions

STEP 1: Fill the bowl with water.

STEP 2: Place the orange into the water. Did the orange float or sink?

STEP 3: Remove the peel from the orange and then place the peeled orange into the water. Did the orange float or sink?

Explanation

The unpeeled orange will float due to the pockets of air under the peel. The peel acts as a life jacket. Once the life jacket is removed the orange becomes more dense and sinks.

Jason Lindsey is a Science Outreach Educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website "Hooked On Science" at hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindsey@hookedonscience.org. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.