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Floating and Sinking: Lime in Water vs Salt Water
Materials
- 1 whole lime
- 1 cup (250 mL) plain water
- 1 cup (250 mL) salt water (Mix 2 tablespoons of salt into 1 cup (250 mL) of warm water until the salt dissolves)
- 2 clear cups or glasses
Instructions
- Fill one glass with plain water and the second glass with salt water.
- Gently place the whole lime into the plain water and observe what happens. Most limes will sink or sit low in the water because they are slightly denser than water.
- Now place the same lime into the salt water. This time, the lime will float much higher, often rising to the top.
What’s going on?
- A lime is usually denser than plain water, so it sinks.When salt is dissolved in water, the water becomes denser. Salt water can push upward with more force than plain water, making the lime float.
- The lime stays the same, the density of the water changes.
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