Can an orange swim?
Two oranges go into a big bowl of water. One floats and one sinks straight to the bottom. The only difference is the peel.
Watch on YouTubeWatch the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r44bdeWPqg
You need
- 2 oranges of about the same size
- 1 large clear bowl or tall glass jar
- Water
Ask a grown-up to help. A grown-up starts the peel: no knives for children. Wipe up any spilled water so nobody slips.
Try it
- Fill the bowl with water.
- Guess first: will an orange float or sink?
- Put one whole orange into the water and watch what it does.
- Ask a grown-up to start the peel, then peel the second orange.
- Put the peeled orange into the water.
- Look at the two oranges side by side. What is different?
Why did it happen?
The peel of an orange is full of tiny air pockets. They make the orange lighter for its size, like a life jacket, so it floats. Without its peel the orange is heavier than the same amount of water, so it sinks.
New science word: air pockets. It means tiny spaces filled with air, like the ones inside an orange peel.
Your challenge
Try it with a lemon. And what happens if you put just the peel in the water?