This was such a fun experiment for the boys. They couldn’t work out why lemons (and oranges) float and limes sink. What do you think?
What to do!
Make sure you lemon and lime are about the same size.
Our lemon weighed 108g and our lime was 102g.
- Fill a bowl with water and put the lemons in. (They should float)
- Put the limes in. What did they do? (They should sink)
- Why don’t the limes float?
- Try peeling the skin off the lemon and the lime.
- Put the peels in the water. What do they do? (The lemon peel should float and the lime should sink.)
Why do you think this happens?
Limes are more dense than lemons but the density of both are still very close to that of water. The small difference of composition between lemons and limes could be the reason one floats and the other sinks.
What are some other things that float and sink?
You can read more about it at Steve Spanglers Science.
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Wonderful experiment. My daughter and I were just discussing density. We may just have to try this after a grocery run. =)