Density can be a tricky concept to understand, but what we're basically talking about is the "weight" of liquids. We've put "weight"in quotations because it's the simplest way to define density, but not quite exactly. Every liquid has density. When solid objects are introduced, they may sink or float depending on the density of the liquid it is placed in. When we're talking about only liquids, this means you can do some pretty cool science exploration by stacking them in a density column.
The simple, non-edible version of this exploration involves oil and water. When placed together in a tall cup, you can see that not only do these liquids not mix, the water is always at the bottom and the oil is always at the top. The water is more dense (has more density) than the oil.
You can explore density using edible ingredients too! Just like water, juice has density. The amount of sugar or fruit in the juice determines how dense it is. The more sugar or fruit, the more dense the juice is.
What you'll need:
A tall glass or cylinder, turkey baster, fruit juice (not canned or powdered since those are mostly water)
What you do:
Before starting, let's make a hypothesis!
Take a look at the juice samples you have, paying close attention to the sugar content in each. Make a guess as to which juice is more or less dense. For our exploration at the Lab, we used Nature’s Promise White Grape (from Stop & Shop), Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice, and Tropicana Pomegranate-Blueberry.
When adding the juice, slowly drip it onto the inside of the glass using the turkey baster so that it runs down the side of the glass. Watch the juice to see if it goes below or above the juice already inside the glass. If it simply mixes with the juice and does not go above or below, it has the same density as the juice and you will need to move on to your next juice.
The simple, non-edible version of this exploration involves oil and water. When placed together in a tall cup, you can see that not only do these liquids not mix, the water is always at the bottom and the oil is always at the top. The water is more dense (has more density) than the oil.
You can explore density using edible ingredients too! Just like water, juice has density. The amount of sugar or fruit in the juice determines how dense it is. The more sugar or fruit, the more dense the juice is.
What you'll need:
A tall glass or cylinder, turkey baster, fruit juice (not canned or powdered since those are mostly water)
What you do:
Before starting, let's make a hypothesis!
Take a look at the juice samples you have, paying close attention to the sugar content in each. Make a guess as to which juice is more or less dense. For our exploration at the Lab, we used Nature’s Promise White Grape (from Stop & Shop), Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice, and Tropicana Pomegranate-Blueberry.
When adding the juice, slowly drip it onto the inside of the glass using the turkey baster so that it runs down the side of the glass. Watch the juice to see if it goes below or above the juice already inside the glass. If it simply mixes with the juice and does not go above or below, it has the same density as the juice and you will need to move on to your next juice.
