Have you ever walked along a beach and wondered why parts of it were sandy and other parts were rocky? When the waves hit the beach, the sand and rocks carried in the water fall out. The denser rock particles are dropped first along the shore, while the less dense sand particles are carried further up the beach.
Lets look at an example of materials sorting based on density and particle size.
Materials:
- Graduated cylinder or other container (e.g. empty soda bottle)
- Soil
- Water
Procedure:
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| Look closely to see the various layers which result from nature's sorting! |  |
Analysis:
- How did the solution of soil and water change from when you first shook them up until after you let them sit for at least a day?
- How is this example similar to what happens where a river enters a lake?
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| Review science lab safety rules here.
Get the plug-ins: Want to share a photograph of you or your friends doing this activity? Send the photograph attached to an e-mail with the following information: the title of the activity, the URL (Internet address), and your name. Remember that no pictures can be used which show any student faces or has a student name on it. Updated August 11, 2005 by: Glen
Westbroek |
