Buoyancy Basics

This illustrated demonstration from the NOVA Web site explains the concepts of buoyancy and density by showing what happens when different kinds of wood blocks are dropped in water.

Buoyancy Brainteasers: Balloon-in-Car Puzzler

This interactive brainteaser from the NOVA Web site challenges you to explain the behavior of a helium-filled balloon in a moving car.

Buoyancy Brainteasers: Boat-in-Pool Puzzler

This interactive brainteaser from the NOVA Web site challenges you to figure out what happens to the water level when a rock is resting in a boat and when it is submerged in water.

Buoyancy Brainteasers: Buoyancy Question

This interactive brainteaser from the NOVA Web site challenges you to figure out what causes an object to sink.

Columns: Experimenting with Balloons

Watch the ZOOM cast find out how many balloons filled with air and then with water are required to support the weight of a cast member.

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Comparing the Density of Liquids, Solids, and Gases

Students compare the relative densities of different liquids and then solids, and also explore the density of air versus the density of water.

Density and Buoyancy: Experimenting with Club Soda

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, the cast discovers that gas-filled bubbles act like life jackets for raisins, making them buoyant.

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Density and Buoyancy: Making Eggs Float

Why does an egg float in salt water? Learn about density and buoyancy in this video segment adapted from ZOOM.

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Density and Buoyancy: Mixing Hot and Cold Water

Watch warm water float on top of cold water in this video segment adapted from ZOOM.

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Density and Buoyancy: Pouring Air into Water

This video segment adapted from ZOOM offers a clever demonstration of buoyancy by showing how to pour a cup of air into a cup filled with water.

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Density and Buoyancy: Testing Liquids

Will a grape float in oil? Will a metal nut sink in corn syrup? Watch as the ZOOM cast tests the buoyancy of a variety of liquids and objects.

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Disappearing Milk

A magician pours milk into a glass, but when he turns the glass upside down, nothing comes out. How does he do it? Discover the science behind the "magic" in this video adapted from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Experimenting with a Glass Xylophone

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, the cast investigates how the pitch of sound changes when they strike a variety of glasses filled with different amounts and types of liquids.

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Finding the Dew Point

In this video from Cyberchase, the CyberSquad learns to keep track of both air temperature and humidity so they can predict when fog will appear.

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How Structure Can Affect Properties Through Phase Changes

Structure-Property Relationships

Mystery Mud: Exploring Changes in States of Matter

Join a group of middle-school students on a visit to a laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where they experiment with "mystery mud" and learn about the relationships between magnetism, particle motion, and changes in the state of matter.

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Snowflake Physics

Explore the science behind snowflake formation by examining water molecule structure and other conditions that affect snowflake growth in this interactive activity adapted from SnowCrystals.com.

Sound and Solids: Listening Stick

This video segment, adapted from ZOOM, explores how sound waves travel differently through air than through solids like a yardstick, a baseball bat, and a golf club.

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Sound and Solids: Stereo Hangers

This video segment, adapted from ZOOM, explores how sound waves travel differently through solids than through air, in this case, a metal clothes hanger.

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Sound and Solids: Visualizing Vibrations

In this video segment, adapted from ZOOM, a tuning fork's vibrations are made visible as ripples in a bowl of water.

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