PhET Simulation: Density

Detail Page «

Detail Page

published by the PhET

This simulation provides a highly visual, intuitive way for students to explore how density is related to an object's mass and volume. Using a virtual water tank, users drop various objects to see what floats and what sinks. Use the mouse to submerge the object and see how much fluid it displaces. A scale is provided to measure the mass of the objects, with a density table available for view. Students can easily see why the density formula works, especially when they identify the "mystery" objects.

This item is part of a larger collection of simulations developed by the Physics Education Technology project (PhET).

Editor's Note: Scroll down on the page for exemplary lesson plans for grades 6-12, developed by the PhET project specifically to accompany the "Density" simulation.

https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/density

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Fluid Mechanics - Statics of Fluids = Density and Buoyancy	- Middle School - Lower Undergraduate - High School	- Instructional Material = Activity = Instructor Guide/Manual = Interactive Simulation

Appropriate Courses	Categories	Ratings
- Physical Science - Physics First - Conceptual Physics - Algebra-based Physics - AP Physics	- Activity - New teachers	Currently 0.0/5 Want to rate this material? Login here!

Intended Users:: Learner
Educator
Formats:: application/java
text/html
Access Rights:: Free access
Restriction:: © 2010 University of Colorado at Boulder
Additional information is available.
Keywords:: Archimedes Principle, buoyancy, density simulation, mass, middle school simulation, volume
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created February 16, 2011 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:: August 18, 2016 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update when Cataloged:: December 30, 2010
Other Collections:: The PSRC

Post a new comment on this item

AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)

4. The Physical Setting

4D. The Structure of Matter

6-8: 4D/M10. A substance has characteristic properties such as density, a boiling point, and solubility, all of which are independent of the amount of the substance and can be used to identify it.

11. Common Themes

11B. Models

6-8: 11B/M4. Simulations are often useful in modeling events and processes.
6-8: 11B/M5. The usefulness of a model depends on how closely its behavior matches key aspects of what is being modeled. The only way to determine the usefulness of a model is to compare its behavior to the behavior of the real-world object, event, or process being modeled.

12. Habits of Mind

12B. Computation and Estimation

6-8: 12B/M3. Calculate the circumferences and areas of rectangles, triangles, and circles, and the volumes of rectangular solids.
6-8: 12B/M7b. Convert quantities expressed in one unit of measurement into another unit of measurement when necessary to solve a real-world problem.
9-12: 12B/H2. Find answers to real-world problems by substituting numerical values in simple algebraic formulas and check the answer by reviewing the steps of the calculation and by judging whether the answer is reasonable.

ComPADRE is beta testing Citation Styles!

Record Link

<a href="https://www.compadre.org/precollege/items/detail.cfm?ID=10709">PhET. PhET Simulation: Density. Boulder: PhET, December 30, 2010.</a>

AIP Format

(PhET, Boulder, 2010), WWW Document, (https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/density).

AJP/PRST-PER

PhET Simulation: Density (PhET, Boulder, 2010), <https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/density>.

APA Format

PhET Simulation: Density. (2010, December 30). Retrieved October 4, 2024, from PhET: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/density

Chicago Format

PhET. PhET Simulation: Density. Boulder: PhET, December 30, 2010. https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/density (accessed 4 October 2024).

MLA Format

PhET Simulation: Density. Boulder: PhET, 2010. 30 Dec. 2010. 4 Oct. 2024 <https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/density>.

BibTeX Export Format

@misc{ Title = {PhET Simulation: Density}, Publisher = {PhET}, Volume = {2024}, Number = {4 October 2024}, Month = {December 30, 2010}, Year = {2010} }

Refer Export Format

%T PhET Simulation: Density %D December 30, 2010 %I PhET %C Boulder %U https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/density %O application/java

EndNote Export Format

%0 Electronic Source %D December 30, 2010 %T PhET Simulation: Density %I PhET %V 2024 %N 4 October 2024 %8 December 30, 2010 %9 application/java %U https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/density

Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.

Citation Source Information

The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual.

The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References.

The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation.

The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ.

This resource is stored in a shared folder.

You must login to access shared folders.