How to Make an Egg Float Using Sugar

Dissolve sugar into water to increase the water's density to support an egg.

Drop an egg into a glass of water and it sinks. This happens because the egg is denser than the water you placed it in, but if you change the density of the water to make it greater than that of the egg, the egg will float. Dissolving sugar into the water will increase the density of the water; this will result in an egg that sits on top of the water rather than sinking to the bottom.

Things You'll Need

• Clear glass
• Water
• Raw egg
• 4 tbsp. sugar
• Long-handled spoon

Instructions

1. Fill the glass 3/4 full of water.

2. Gently lower the egg into the water to verify that it does sink.

3. Remove egg and stir in the sugar with the long-handled spoon.

4. Return the egg to the water and it should float.

5. Remove the egg and stir additional tbsp. of sugar into the water, testing after each spoonful, until the egg floats.

References

• Elmhurst College; The Magical Floating Egg; Cassandra Krack; 2003
• California State University, Los Angeles: Demos and Activities for Science Classrooms
• Yale University: Physics Unit