EGG FLOATING EXPERIMENT

FUN WITH SCIENCE
EGG FLOATING EXPERIMENT
Materials Required: 
o graduated cylinders, water
o bowls and tablespoons
o eggs (1 per group)
o container of salt (non‐iodized ‐ aka Kosher Salt)
• Preparation: 
o While I provide the eggs, I usually ask the students to bring the salt.
o 2 containers should be enough for one class.
• Introduction: 
o Review the Science Method.
o Discuss the Procedures Step of the Science Method of Inquiry.
ƒ Emphasize the importance of carefully following directions so that the experiments are
perfect repetitions of another.
• Lesson: 
o Question:  How much salt will be needed to increase the density of the water to a point at which the
egg will have a lower density and float?
o Observations / Inferences:  

MAKE A EGG FLOAT ON SALT WATER

FUN WITH SCIENCE

LEARN HOW TO MAKE AN EGG FLOAT IN SALT WATER

An egg sinks to the bottom if you drop it into a glass of ordinary drinking water but what happens if you add salt? The results are very interesting and can teach you some fun facts about density.

Required items:

•     One egg
•     Water
•     Salt
•     A tall drinking glass

Instructions:

    Pour water into the glass until it is about half full.
    Stir in lots of salt (about 6 tablespoons).
    Carefully pour in plain water until the glass is nearly full (be careful to not disturb or mix the salty water with the plain water).
    Gently lower the egg into the water and watch what happens.

what will be the happening?

Salt water is denser than ordinary tap water, the denser the liquid the easier it is for an object to float in it. When you lower the egg into the liquid it drops through the normal tap water until it reaches the salty water, at this point the water is dense enough for the egg to float. If you were careful when you added the tap water to the salt water, they will not have mixed, enabling the egg to amazingly float in the middle of the glass.