Apologia Chemistry: Module 1: Density: Will a Bowling Ball Float?

 Will a bowling ball float?  It depends.  Here are the formulas to calculate whether a bowling ball will float.  (There is a video below the kids made last year explaining the calculations.). For this activity, kids calculate the density of a bowling ball by weighing the bowling ball’s mass and determining the volume of a sphere.  Density is mass/volume.  Bowling balls which weigh less than 12 lbs. float; those greater than 12 lbs. sink.  A 12 lb. bowling ball bobbles in water because it’s about the same density as water.  Use cold water with added ice; ice water has a density close to 1 g/ mL.  I use bowling balls I bought at yard sales and large buckets.  This activity makes kids think.  If you assign this to a Co-op class, give everyone a different bowling ball weight.   Take a look!