Sink/Float

Most candy sinks in water, because sugar is denser than water.  But some candy floats.  Why?
One candy bar floats; one sinks.

What you need:
  • Different kinds of candy, such as chocolates, sugar candy, 3 Musketeers bar, Kit Kat bar
  • water
What to do:
  1. Drop the candy in the water.
  2. Watch what happens: does it sink or float?
  3. If you have a 3 Musketeers bar, poke it to break the chocolate shell.  Do you see bubbles escaping?
What’s happening:
Some kinds of candy, such as Kit Kats, 3 Musketeers, and marshmallows have air trapped inside.  This makes them float. 



From the book Candy Experiments by Loralee Leavitt

Please do not copy, sell, post, publish, or distribute all or any part of this material without the author's permission. Instead, feel free to link to this website, and to contact me with questions.
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7 comments:

  1. UnknownMarch 30, 2013 at 6:02 PM

    What a cool way to teach density and buoyancy with every day stuff:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. ThoughtfulApril 18, 2013 at 4:05 PM

    I will use this for the end of the year exam reviews. I'm always looking for new Density demos.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownOctober 4, 2013 at 7:32 AM

    I did this for my 6th graders as part of a science circus (various stations going at once) to study matter and its physical properties. I had 4 cylinders - 2 with oil, 2 with water. We used 3 Musketeers and Twix. We did the experiment for each candy type (one in oil, one in water). It was fun to see their amazement at the activity. It got them thinking about what other liquids and candies they could try for more results to observe.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LoraleeOctober 4, 2013 at 9:09 AM

    That sounds so fun! Let me know if they make any candy discoveries.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownNovember 6, 2019 at 7:36 AM

    How do you make starburst float?

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Hughes FamilyJanuary 13, 2020 at 6:24 PM

    How could I make any of these candies sink or could i?

    ReplyDelete
  7. LoraleeJanuary 15, 2020 at 12:18 PM

    You can smash them or squash them to let the air bubbles out. That will make the candy denser and ready to sink. Or you can pour a cup of cooking oil and sink the candy in that, as in the comment above.

    ReplyDelete

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