The Flinking Lab

Today, we took an approach to the learning cycle which follows the 5 E’s (engage, explore, explain, elaborate, evaluate) through an investigation. As the class was learning about floating and sinking, our professor showed us that a piece of wood floats and a rock sinks. Although, he showed us a rock that floats and a piece of wood that sinks, so how can it do this?! To further investigate, the class was given the challenge to create something that would “flink” (neither float nor sink). My group used many different strategies to try and achieve this. One way was to fill a glass container with some air and some water. Another way was to fill a bag with some air, a little water, and a little weight (pennies). The last way, which was super easy to find the balance with, was taking a styrofoam cup, filling it with water, and adding three washers to it. All three strategies “flinked.” Through this experience, I learned a rock can float in water if it is less dense and a piece of wood can sink in water if it is more dense, but anything can "flink" if it has the same density as water.