Debbie was doing a science lab, and she was instructed to decide whether a piece of plastic would float or sink without actually putting the plastic in the water. How could she do this?

Question

A.
find the volume of the plastic and compare it to the density of water
B.
find the density of the plastic and compare it to the density of water
C.
find the mass of the plastic and compare it to the mass of a beaker of water
D.
This is not possible.

Answer 1

To determine whether a piece of plastic will float or sink in water without actually placing it in the water, Debbie should compare the density of the plastic to the density of water.

The principle is that objects with a density less than that of the fluid (in this case, water) will float, while those with a density greater than that of the fluid will sink.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

B. find the density of the plastic and compare it to the density of water.