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This activity allows the children to work through the idea of how to carry out an experiment, testing their ideas.
Materials needed for the ping pong divers
* 1 Ping Pong Ball * 1 Clear Plastic Drinking Cup * Tape (masking tape is better) * 5-10 coins * pencil * paper * 1 golf ball * 1 marble
Directions
1. Take your glass or cup and fill it about 2/3 full of water. Mark the water level with a piece of your tape.
2. Now, place a ping pong ball in the water. What happens to it?
3. Push down on your ping pong ball. What do you feel? What happens if you quickly let go?
4. Push down again until 1/2 of the ping pong ball is under water and look at the water where you marked the water level with tape. What happens to the water level?
5. Tape a coin to the ping pong ball with your tape and return it to the water. Does it still float?
6. Find out how many coins you need to tape to it before it sinks. Write that number down.
7. Once the ball is at the bottom of the cup or glass, look at your water level again. Why is it higher than before?
Further investigation
1. Discuss what you think will happen if you put the golf ball or marble in the cup of water. (Hypothesis)
2. Try it. (Experiment)
3. Record your observations (with words, or with pictures or diagrams). (Observations)
4. What happened? Why do you think that happened? (Conclusions)