Does the shape of a piece of steel decide if it floats?
At the kitchen sink, reshape the same square of aluminum foil into a tight lump and then a wide hollow form. Same metal, same weight — predict whether changing only the shape can change what the water does.
Talk about it
- Same foil, two shapes: crush it into a ball and it sinks, flatten it into a boat and it floats. What changed?
- Why does pushing a beach ball underwater feel so hard?
- If you cut a hole in a floating boat, what do you think happens, and why?