Alpha Science Classroom: How do sharks float?

Kids have seen very large sharks in aquariums in seawater, why this scary shark does not sink, but they are actually very dynamic. If it weren't for some cool features, they would sink like a rock. Today, Alpha Science Classroom reveals how sharks float for kids through a physical science experiment program for kids? A challenging and fun process that will help kids understand the properties of living things and the mystery of buoyancy. Let's start with a fast-floating shark activity so that kids can fall in love with kids' science experiments activities.

Alpha Science Classroom: How do sharks float? The mystery will require

• 2 water bottles

• Cooking oil

• Water

• A large container filled with water

• Sharpie marker {optional, but it's fun to draw the shark's face}

• Plastic shark {optional, but we found it at the dollar store}.

Alpha Science Classroom. How does a shark float? Step-by-step tutorial

Step 1: First, the children filled each water bottle equally with oil and water. As they fill the bottles, the children are careful not to spill the oil everywhere, so parents can help.

Step 2: Then, the kids get out a large container or trash can filled with water that is large enough to hold the bottle and the shark toy (the kids can also use the bathtub if available). If you want to be crafty, you can draw a shark's face on the bottle.

Step 3: Children look closely at the bottle filled with water to represent the shark and the oil to represent the oil in the shark's liver. Children, what happens to each bottle when you put it in the water tank?

Alpha Science Classroom：How does a shark float? The Science of Buoyancy

Sharks are buoyant, in other words, they don't sink, but they're supposed to! That's buoyancy. Buoyancy is the ability to float in water or other liquids. Sharks need to work hard to stay afloat. In fact, if they stop swimming, they will sink.

Most bony fish have a swim bladder. The swim bladder is an internal organ filled with gas that helps the fish float without having to swim all the time. Sharks, however, do not have swim bladders to help with buoyancy. The reason for this is that sharks can change depth quickly without blowing up their air-filled swim bladders.

How do sharks float? Sharks have three main ways of using their bodies to float. The following floating shark activity covers one of them, the oily liver! Sharks rely on a very large oil-filled liver to help them stay afloat in the water.

Sharks are alive!

As you can see, the oil-filled bottle is floating! That's exactly what a large oily shark liver does! This isn't the only way sharks stay afloat, but it's a cool way for us to show kids that sharks are buoyant. Oil is lighter than water, which is why the other bottle sank on us. So that's how sharks stay buoyant without swim bladders.

How do sharks float?

Remember I said that the shark's body can help buoyancy in three ways. Another reason sharks float is that they are made of cartilage rather than bone. You guessed it, cartilage is much lighter than bone.

The lateral fins are kind of like wings, while the caudal fin produces a constant motion that propels the shark forward. The fins lift the shark up, while the tail moves the shark through the water. However, sharks cannot swim backward!

Today, through the fun children's physical science experiment activity, I believe that children are getting to know more about sharks and why sharks can swim so fast with the reasons for it. At the same time, children can have fun learning the biological knowledge code of buoyancy and sharks through this fun children's physical science experiment activity. So that children love kid's science experiments, explore more interesting knowledge and phenomena, and become the most powerful scientists.

Alpha Science Toys also prepared for children, many related children's physical science experiment kits, so that children in a happy atmosphere, learn wonderful scientific knowledge, and become the most powerful scientists.