Funded by the soybean checkoff.
www.ilsoy.org
Funded by the soybean checkoff.
www.ilsoy.org
Discoveries from U.S. soybean
farmers and their checkoff.
Scientific Discovery
Scientific Discovery
It’s Your Density
Explore the
relationshipThick
between mass
and
volume. In this
Through
and
Thin
experiment, you determine the weight of various materials
GRADES
GRADES
Discoveries from U.S. soybean
farmers and their checkoff.
Different objects have different densities. So do different liquids, as this
occupying
the samedemonstrates.
space.
experiment
What’s the
Word?
What’
s the Word?
density, mass,
volume
density
What’s the
Mystery?
What
You Need
Density is the
relationship between the amount of
Syrup
material inSoy
an object
andvegetable
the space
Cooking(mass)
Oil (most
oilsthat
are soy)
the object Water
occupies (volume). In this experiment, you
will determine
the
Piece
of weight
Plastic of the various materials
occupying the
Corksame amount of space. You should be
able to make
predictions about the density of the
Grape
materials you
test.
Glass
Jar
Soybeans
Activity 1: Is thicker denser?
What to Do
What You Need
1. Pour one-third cup of syrup into the glass jar.
Soybean oil2.(found
in grocery
stores
vegetable
oil)jar.
Now pour
one-third
cup ofassoy
oil into the
Soy sauce 3. Finally, pour one-third cup of water into the jar.
10-ounce clear
plastic
cups settle for a few minutes.
4. Let
the contents
Measuring 5.
spoons
Drop a piece of plastic, a grape, a few soybeans and a small cork into the liquid.
Scale
What’s Going On?
Marker or crayons
Notice how the objects you dropped in settle down to different layers of the mixture. The liquids have
What to Do
different densities. The most-dense liquid (syrup) will be at the bottom, the least-dense liquid (oil) will
1. Measurebe2at
tablespoons
soybean
oilbetween.
and pourEach
it into
a clear
plastic
cup.
Measure
the top, withofthe
water in
object
will sink
to the
level
of the liquid that has a greater
2 tablespoons
soythe
sauce
andThe
pour
it into
another
plastic
density of
than
object.
object
will then
floatclear
on that
layer.cup.
2. Weigh each cup of liquid and record the weight.
2 tbs of soybean oil and cup = ________________grams
2 tbs of soy sauce and cup = ______________grams
Based on what you discovered about the weight of the two materials, do you think that the
soybean oil is less dense or denser than the soy sauce? [Hint: the volumes are equal, only the
weight is different.] Will the denser liquid float or sink?
3. Take the soy sauce and pour it into the cup containing the soybean oil. Describe what you
observe. What does this experiment show about the density of the two liquids?
4. Use a marker to draw a picture illustrating the oil and soy sauce in the glass. Label both parts
and describe the reaction taking place.
Adapted from materials developed by the United Soybean Board