Simulation Description: density
Density Simulation — Description
This interactive simulation helps students explore the concept of density through three hands-on scenes. In Sink/Float, students drag real objects (cork, wood, ice, rock) into water and observe whether they sink or float based on their actual densities. In Liquid Layers, students drop a test ball into a beaker of six real liquids — honey, corn syrup, dish soap, water, vegetable oil, and rubbing alcohol — stacked in the correct scientific order, and watch it settle at the right interface. In Formula, students manipulate mass and volume using sliders and see the density value update instantly, building intuition for the relationship ρ = m/V.
All density values are scientifically accurate and the physics is modelled on Archimedes’ principle.
📋 Suggested Class Activity — “Density Detectives”
Level: KS3 / GCSE (ages 11–16) Duration: 20–30 minutes
Instructions:
- Predict first — Before touching the simulation, ask students to rank the four objects in Sink/Float from least to most dense and predict which will float. Record predictions in their books.
- Test it — Students drag each object into the water and observe. Ask: Why does ice float but only just? What fraction of it is above water?
- Layer challenge — Switch to Liquid Layers. Ask students to sketch the column and label each layer before dropping the ball. Then drop it and check: Did it settle where you expected?
- Formula exploration — In the Formula tab, challenge students to find three different mass/volume combinations that give a density of exactly 1.0 g/cm³ (the same as water). Then ask: What density would make an object float halfway submerged?
- Discussion — Close with: Why do oil spills float on the ocean? Why does ice floating matter for life on Earth?
Assessment: Students write one sentence explaining why density — not mass or size — determines whether something floats. Upthrust.