Volume Science Activities
Volume is the amount of space that a three-dimensional object or substance occupies, or the amount of space a particular container can hold. In general, you can calculate the volume of an object by multiplying its length by its width by its height. However, this formula does not always work, as you will see. There are several activities that can you perform to help increase your understanding of volume and how it pertains to science.
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Ice and Volume
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The objective of this activity is to show how the volume of certain objects can appear greater than it actually is. Start by filling a straight-sided glass with water and ice cubes until the water level is just below the rim. Then, pile on more ice cubes until some of them rest above the level of the glass itself (without the water spilling out). Now, make a prediction as to what will happen when those ice cubes melt.
You may pedict that the melting ice will cause the glass to overflow, which seems reasonable since the glass cannot contain all of the cubes. However, according to Digital Bits Science Lab, this is not what will happen. The ice cubes displace the water in the glass, making its volume appear greater. However, when the cubes melt, the water will occupy the newly available space--which was previously being displaced--and not overflow.
Solutions and Volume
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For this activity you will need one cup of water, one cup of sugar, a spoon and a measuring cup that can hold a volume of at least two cups. Add your water into the measuring cup and make sure that it aligns precisely with the one-cup line. Now, before adding in the sugar, make a prediction about how much space your solution will occupy.
You may suspect that adding two substances of the same volume together will result in a solution with a doubled volume. However, when you pour in the sugar and give the mixture a stir, you will notice that the volume ends up being less than two cups. This is because some of the sugar dissolves into the water, or squeezes between the spaces in its molecular composition.
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Volume of Irregular Objects
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Although you can determine the volume of square and rectangular objects by multiplying length by width by height, According to School For Champions, you will need a different approach for irregularly shaped objects.
Fill a bucket with water right up to the brim, and place it inside a tray or other container. Then place your irregular object in the water, and watch the water overflow into the tray. The volume of water you collect in the tray will be equal to the volume of your object. Pour the water into a measuring cup to see its volume.
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References
- Photo Credit Ice cubes image by Andrius Grigaliunas from Fotolia.com
