Name: __________________________________________________Period: _________
©Sue Boudreau, Greta Heintz, Josh DeFeo 11.29.2011
1. Stick your own photo of something buoyant onto the page here.
RUBRIC:
5pts for creativity (composition, interesting, unusual etc.),
5pts for technical photography (in focus, properly exposed),
5pts that it shows buoyancy.
5pts for parent signature and note, 2 prints in color, 4x6 inches
If you use a photo from the internet or another photographer, you lose 5pts.
If your teacher provides a photo, or plagiarized,, you get 0 points for this question. /20
2. a. Arrow the direction and size of the forces acting on the buoyant object in your
photo. If it’s hard to show, sketch it as a side view below. (4pts)
b. Label the forces acting on the floating object (name the forces). (2pts)
c. Label the object and the medium. (2pts)

Name: __________________________________________________Period: _________Box Number: _________________
3. Explain how the object in your photograph is floating. Use physics terms such as mass, volume, density, displacement, forces, gravity and buoyancy. You can include a diagram if you wish. (Hint: Write/draw the explanation first, add physics terms after if you have not already put them in. We will grade it for making sense, rather than how many terms you understand.)
RUBRIC:
10pts: Explanation is complete, accurate and logical. Uses physics terms correctly.
9 pts: A very minor error or omission
8pts: An error or slight confusion but the basic idea is correct.
7pts: Some confusion but with some parts correct.
6pts: One correct piece of information, Very confused.
4. a. Give a specific example of when density and buoyancy are important in the real
world. (Hint: Consider earth systems, transportation, cooking, sports, medicine etc.)
b. Explain how your example in the real world (part 4a) relates to density.
RUBRIC:
5pts for a relevant example, that explains how it relates to buoyancy and/or density. More than a 1word answer.
4pts for a relevant example with a slightly confused explanation.
3pts for a 1- word answer that is relevant to buoyancy and/or density.

Name: __________________________________________________Period: _________Box Number: _________________
1. Calculate the density of the plastic, regular shape in your box using the ruler, calculator and scale. Show your measurements, units, the equations used, calculations. Be sure your teacher can follow exactly what you did.
RUBRIC:
1pt for showing units throughout your work
2pts for showing the equations accurately.
2pts for showing your calculations.
5pts for the right answer including units.
2. Calculate the density of the irregular object in your box using water, a graduated cylinder, calculator and scale. Show your measurements, the equations you used, the units and your calculations. Be sure your teacher can follow exactly what you did.
RUBRIC:
1pt for showing units throughout your work
2pts for showing the equations accurately.
2pts for showing your calculations.
5pts for the right answer including units.

Name: __________________________________________________Period: _________Box Number: _________________
3. Calculate the density of the liquid in your box using the graduated cylinder, the scale and the calculator. Show your work including units, the equations you used and your calculations so your teacher can easily follow what you did.
RUBRIC:
1pt for showing units throughout your work
2pts for showing the equations accurately.
2pts for showing your calculations.
5pts for the right answer including units.
4. Which of the above objects will float in a NON-water fluid that has a density of 13.5 g/cm 3 ?
1pt for each right answer
5. EXTRA CREDIT: What might be the liquid in question 7? (+1pt)
6. Write a question you have about density and buoyancy:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2pts for a relevant question that shows understanding of the concepts in this unit.
13. a. How well do you think you did? ____________ 1pt
b. Describe how you studied for this assessment. 2pts

Sue, Krissy and Greta’s Density Assessment Jan.2012 TEACHER NOTES
We showed kids the assessment ahead of time so they would know what they were working toward.
Review using last year’s short answer/multiple choice test with the answers. Concept cards on board. Students analyzed which concepts and skills they got wrong/confused before going home to review.
Gave links to kahnacademy.org, YouTube Eureka Density and Buoyancy clip. Suggested they read chapter 3 in the text.
Materials for the Lab:
Per table:
2 electronic scales
1 plastic bucket of
2 100ml graduated cylinders
2 50 ml graduated cylinders
2 10 ml graduated cylinders
4 rulers
4 beakers and/or plastic cups
4 plastic droppers
1 large container of water (for displacement)
Collect 7 of 4 different, irregular shapes that will fit into a measuring cylinder (we used marbles bowling pins, colored vase ‘pebbles’, large bolts)
Collect 7 of 4 different regular shapes that do not have to fit into a measuring cylinder (we used steelies, the plastic cubes snapped together into a rectangular prism, marbles and AA used batteries)
Make 4 different colored liquids – we used tap water for two, and saturated salt solution for two.
Put different quantities into different shaped, capped containers so kids think they are really different. (We used small jam jars, 125ml conical flasks and 250 conical flasks with corks.)
Label 7 plastic containers ‘A’, 7 labeled ‘B’, 7 labeled ‘C’ and 7 labeled ‘D’.
Divide out the regular, irregular shapes and the colored liquids into the plastic containers.
Do the lab for each plastic container (“Box Number” on the sheets) to get the answers and to figure an allowable margin of error.