Density Experiments - Liquid Tower

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We are going to look at an experiment that will show us the difference of density between liquids in the kitchen. The denser a liquid is the more weight it will have in the same volume.

By doing this experiment you will be able to intuitively remember the densities of different liquids and realise how density affects the buoyancy of bodies.

Torre de Liquidos

We will take from the kitchen or supermarket:

  • Honey
  • Soap
  • Water
  • Oil
  • Alcohol

It will be useful to have food colouring to colour the water and alcohol. The denser liquid will weigh more and will be placed at the bottom of the tower. The one with a lower density will be placed at the top of the tower. For the colours to be clearly defined, it is important to put the liquids in the container in order of density, that is:

  1. Honey
  2. Soap
  3. Water
  4. Oil
  5. Alcohol

Here you can watch a step-by-step video of this experiment.

I think that in this experiment many of us are surprised that oil has a lower density than water, since intuitively, because it has a higher viscosity, it is often thought that oil would be denser than water.

DENSITY THEORY

The density is one of the most important physical factors. Density gives us the relationship between the weight and the volume a body occupies. For example 1Kg of steel and 1Kg of straw weigh the same, however 1Kg of steel you can fit in a small kitchen pot and for 1Kg of straw you need much more space. This indicates that the density of steel is much higher than that of straw.

In the water, the water density is also very important. The Archimedean principles The buoyancy of bodies needs density to be explained. The higher the density, the more upward buoyancy there will be. The large amount of salt in the Dead Sea is what makes the density higher and floats more than in the Mediterranean Sea.

DENSITY DATA FOR SOME ELEMENTS

You can customise this experiment. Simply place liquids of different densities in order. Here we write the density of the liquids used in the described experiment as well as the density of other liquids.

  • Density of honey (depending on humidity): 1.402 kg/l to 1.413 kg/l at 20 ºC.
  • Water density (pure) 1kg/l
  • Alcohol Density 0,789 kg/
  • Oil Density 0,916 kg/l
  • Density of vinegar 1kg/l
  • Density of Sulphuric Acid 1,84gkg/l
  • Gasoline density 0.680kg/l

24 comments on "Experimentos Densidad – Torre de Líquidos"

  1. My granddaughter is in first grade and that will be her science fair project this school year. Thank you for helping us decide what to do for her homework.

      1. It was the first time she had done a project on her own, she wasn't even old enough to do it on her own yet. Of course I could help her.

      2. She's just thanking the person who published the experiment, don't interfere, because it's her homework, and if she didn't learn anything, that's her problem.

    1. Because the demsity of the honey is 42.7 it is heavy so when you put the soap 3.3 it is less heavy.and they don't work together and then you have to put the substances from highest to lowest from bottom to top🤘👍.

    1. Isopropyl alcohol is mixed. I use the alcohol they sell for the first aid kit. The same with the oil. It got mixed up. I had to use olive oil. It was spectacular and my little girl understood everything.

  2. Good afternoon
    the order of some substances to be mixed must be answered, taking into account their density as shown in the following table.
    Material g/cm3
    liquids
    Mercury 13.6
    water at 4ºc 1.00
    SEA WATER 1.03
    ethyl alcohol 0.81

    I have to represent by means of a drawing the order in which the substances are arranged and explain why they are arranged in this way.

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