Free PDFGrade 5 · Science · 40 min
Density column
Stack honey, water and oil in one glass and find out why they stay in layers.
I can use density to explain why liquids form layers, and calculate mass from density and volume.
A science experiment video with a free worksheet and answer key for teachers
About the video
In the video honey, water and oil are poured into one glass and stay in three layers. At home your child pours 50 ml of each slowly over the back of a spoon, counts the layers and measures how thick each one is with a ruler.
Density is mass divided by volume: honey is about 1.4 g per ml, water 1.0 and oil about 0.92. The densest liquid sinks to the bottom and the least dense floats on top, and oil and water do not mix, so that line stays sharp.
What your child learns
- Use density = mass ÷ volume
- Calculate mass from density and volume
- Order liquids by density and predict the layers
What's on the worksheet
- 1Predict first
- 2Record your column
- 3What did you see?
- 4The science behind it
- 5Key words
- 6Calculate the mass
- 7Which is more?
- 8Think like a scientist
- 9Explain it
You need
1 tall clear glass (about 300 ml), 50 ml honey, 50 ml water, 2 drops blue food colouring, 50 ml cooking oil, 1 measuring jug, 1 tablespoon, 1 ruler.
Tip for the adult
Pour the water very slowly over the back of the spoon, because honey dissolves in water and a fast pour gives a blurry layer.
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