Can you please help me solve this lab:
Design an item no bigger than a 35 mm film conatiner that will float at the 400 ml mark in a 1000 mL graduated cyllinder with 800 mL of water in it. The item can only be made from "trash", recycled items and common household goods like paper clips, rubber bands, ziplock bags, balloons, etc.
I've tried a lot of things, but can't think of any household items that have densities that would cause them to do that. Please help!
There may be an easier way to do it but I think this will work. Add a handful of paper clips to a rubber balloon. With a series of trials, you can add more paper clips, remove paper clips, and inflate the balloon to vaious sizes to arrive at the right "mix" of paper clips and inflation.
Thanks for responding!
I'm trying to perfect the balloon technique, but it's hard. Does anyone else have other ideas on how to make this work? Other than the balloons I've tried putting things like paper clips, staples, beads, etc. in the film container so the container will float and the other material will make it sink, but I've tried for hours and it's hard to perfect these. Any other suggestions?
Certainly! If the balloon technique is proving to be challenging, here's another suggestion using the given materials:
1. Take a ziplock bag and seal it tightly.
2. Fill the ziplock bag with some water, about 100-200 mL, depending on the desired buoyancy.
3. Add small amounts of salt or sugar into the ziplock bag. Start with a small amount and gradually increase until the bag is floating at the desired 400 ml mark.
4. Seal the ziplock bag again to prevent any water from leaking out.
5. Ensure that the bag is secure and won't accidentally open in the water, as this would change the density and affect its buoyancy.
With the addition of salt or sugar, you can increase the density of the water inside the bag, making it sink and the ziplock bag with the added water will float at the desired height.
Remember, you might need to experiment and adjust the amount of salt or sugar to achieve the precise buoyancy.