How Much Weight Can Boats Float?

Have you ever wondered how a ship made of steel can float? If you drop a steel bolt in a bucket of water, the bolt quickly sinks to the bottom. Then how can a steel ship float? And better yet, how can a steel ship carry a heavy load without sinking? It has to do with the density, or the mass per volume, of the ship (and its cargo) compared to the density of water. In this science activity, you will make little "boats" out of aluminum foil to explore how their size affects how much weight… Read more

Have you ever wondered how a ship made of steel can float? Or better yet, how can a steel ship carry a heavy load without sinking? In this science project you will make little "boats" out of aluminum foil to investigate how their size and shape affects much weight they can carry and how this relates to the density of water. Read more

Investigate the physics of boat design, floating, sinking, and more with boat and boat design science and engineering projects, including DIY sailboats, submarines, and underwater ROVs. Boat and Submarine Science Experiments For students fascinated with boats, submarines, and other water vehicles, science projects can make great hands-on explorations. These projects can be fun in summer months or for a school science project or the science fair.… Read more

Join Science Buddies this summer for virtual summer camp! Each week, we'll have a fun STEM theme for kids of all ages, suggestions for simple hands-on activities, book picks, and more. With our Summer of STEM, we'll keep you and your kids inspired all summer with creative and innovative science and engineering activities — for free. This week: make a splash with water play and water-based science experiments! Water Play Science Week 6 focuses on… Read more

Check in each week at Science Buddies this summer for our Awesome Summer Science Experiments series! Each week, we'll highlight a few activities for awesome science and engineering kids can do at home. We've got a whole summer of fun STEM themes lined up for kids of all ages — for free. This week: make a splash with awesome summer science experiments that involve water! Awesome Wacky Water Experiments The activities in Week 8 of our Awesome Summer… Read more

Use these free science lessons, experiments, and activities to teach K-12 students about density. Sometimes students wrongly think that an object's density is the same as its weight or its mass. Instead, density refers to an object's mass in a given volume. Two objects that have the same shape and size (volume) but have a different mass (like two same-sized balls with different weights) have different densities. As a physical property of… Read more