Amar Al-Shakfa Pierrefonds Community High School

Applied Science and Technology

Date: Monday, March 15th, 2021 Grade: Grade 10 (AST)

Topic: Floating Boat - Archimedes’ Principle (in-person) Length: 75 minutes

** This is not a lesson, it is a lab that is intended for students (working in pairs) to carry out on their own, the
teacher will just act as a facilitator roaming around and providing assistance when needed. Please note that
each pair might proceed in different sections of the lab activity at their own pace. Thus, the timing provided in
this lab plan is just approximate.

Lab Objectives:
● Confirm Archimedes' Principle for objects of different masses
● Apply Archimedes principle to real-life scenarios
● Use knowledge of the Archimedes principle to solve a problem
● Visualize data in different ways in order to improve the understanding of a physical system
● Apply different methods of error analysis to experimental results

Materials:
● Scale
● Rubber stopper
● Cork stopper
● Graduated cylinder (50 mL)
● Water bottle
● Pointer

Key Words: Archimedes principle, buoyancy force, weight, mass, water displacement.

Timing Starter:

Introduce the following scenario to students and provide more context to it:

5 mins “ A toy manufacturer has been hired to construct a toy boat for the bath for children
under the age of 10. Before constructing the toy boat, all of the materials and dimensions
must be properly tested to make sure they comply with the proper environmental
conditions. You have been asked to help this company in one aspect of their testing
process. All the equipment needed to perform such a task has been provided. It is up to
you to determine if the cork or rubber stopper will be the best material to use to make
this toy boat float.”
 Amar Al-Shakfa Pierrefonds Community High School

Lab Activity:

1. Explain the objectives and the goal of the lab in a clear and precise manner
(For example, the lab’s main objective is to test 2 different potential materials for
7 mins constructing a toy boat using Archimede’s principle. Students will test out which
material will float in water and which one will sink by calculating and comparing
the gravitational and buoyancy force of each once submerged in water).

10 mins 2. Go over the lab’s procedure with the students to ensure that they understand what
they’re being asked to do.

20 mins 3. Assist students while they’re testing out their material and recording their data in
the table provided.

| 4. Once students are done with the activity and have all their data ready, they will
| use it to calculate the gravitational and buoyancy force of each material.
6 mins
| 5. Based on the results of their calculations, they will be able to identify the best
| material for constructing a toy boat, and thus solve the initial problem given in the
scenario.

6. Using their data, students will be asked to write an analysis explaining their
20 mins results in detail. For example, they must make a connection between the best
stopper’s mass, buoyancy, and gravitational force and explain why it is the most
suitable material for constructing the toy boat.

Closure:
Students will be asked to write a conclusion (around 2-3 sentences) at the end of their lab
7 mins report summarizing their findings, answering their initial question (i.e., “determine if the
cork or rubber stopper will be the best material to use to make this toy boat float”), and
explaining how they got their answer.

Assessment:
This lab is a form of assessment that will count for the students’ final grades.