Density Lesson Plan - The Suspended Potato Challenge 

9th and 10th grade 

9/13/18 
 
Objectives:  
- Students will understand that density is defined as the ratio of the mass of a 
substance to its volume.  
- Solids and liquids have densities. 
 
Essential Question:​ Can the same potato both sink and float? 
 
Agenda:  
Do Now (5 mins) 
Float or Sink (5 mins) 
Exploration with potatoes (30 mins) 
Potato Demo (5 mins) 
Exit Ticket (10 mins) 
 
Do Now (5 mins) 
 
Pair & Share: Show objects and ask students to rank object in terms of most and 
least volume and most and least mass. Why do they think that?  
 
Pair & Share: Layered liquids: what is your best understanding of why salad dressing 
separates before you shake it? 
 
Float or Sink (5 mins)  
 
Ask students if they think an object will float or sink in an aquarium full of water. 
Thumbs up it will float, thumbs down it will sink.  
 
Your Challenge (30 mins) 
 
With a cup of raw potato pieces make one piece float, one piece sink, and one piece 
remain suspended in water.  
 
You may only use the materials provided: water, scissors, salt, electronic balances, 
cups, graduated cylinders, overflow buckets.  
 
Additionally, you must be able to explain why your potato pieces sink, float, and stay 
suspended.  
 
Potato Demo (5 mins)  
 
Show students how to measure the mass and volume of a perfectly cubed piece of 
potato.  
 
Talk about density of the potato.  
 
Show students how to measure the mass and volume of fresh and saltwater, explain 
their densities.  
 
Discussion:  
 
Describe how you solved this challenge, what did you consider? Were the results 
what you were expecting? 
 
If you took a potato piece and cut it in half, would the 2 pieces behave differently 
when dropped in water compared to dropping the whole piece of potato in water? 
Why or why not? 
 
In the cardboard boat challenge you learned that mass and volume of the boats 
affect the buoyancy. The mass and volume of objects also affect the ​density​ of a 
substance. 
 
Ask for a volunteer, have the volunteer aid in measuring the mass of the of the 
cubed potato piece and then write the mass on the board.  
 
Have another volunteer aid in measuring the volume of the cubed potato by 
measuring l*w*h and write the volume on the board.  
 
Liquids also have different densities. From personal experience, what are some 
similarities and differences between salt and freshwater? 
 
Ask for another volunteer. Have them measure the mass of 10 ml fresh and 10 ml salt 
water by zeroing a cup on the balance. Write them on the board.  
 
I am going to make a claim… and let’s see if it holds up. I am going to say that the 
reason the potato floats in salt water is because the potato is less dense than salt 
water. The potato sinks in fresh water because it is more dense than freshwater.   
 
Ask students what the they think the relationship between mass and volume is to 
calculate the density? - show students that ​density = M/V 
Unit for density = g/ml 1 cm3 = 1 ml 
Calculate and see if it holds true! ​If not what might be some discrepancies? 
More dense liquids sink and less dense liquids float. Objects that float are less dense 
than the liquid they are in and objects that sink are more dense than the liquids they 
are in.  
 
 
Exit Ticket: You choose! (10 mins)  
 
Individual reflection: Choose ​one​ of the following options to reflect on the activity we 
did today:  
 
1. Draw a visual diagram detailing your understanding of why the potato pieces 
floated, sunk, and stayed suspended.  
2. Write a song, poem, or other written explanation of how you determined how 
to make the potato pieces sink, float, and stay suspended.   

 
Materials:  
- Potato pieces (8 cups of potato pieces: 1 per group) 
- 9 perfect cut potato cubes (I want them to do the demo with me at the end) 
- Knife (for us to cut potato pieces) 
- Rulers (9 total: 1 per group, 1 for demo) 
- At least 3 medium graduated cylinders or beakers per group (24 total) 
- 9 small graduated cylinders or beakers for demo of salt/fresh H2O density 
- Electronic balances (9 total: 1 per group, 1 for demo) 
- Extra empty cups for them to mix salt/fresh H2O 
- Salt (or pre mixed salt water?) 
- Small trays for them to carry salt. 
- Water (easily accessible?) 
- Scissors (for students to cut up potato pieces) 
- Overflow buckets (water displacement for potato pieces if needed) 
- Calculators (8 total: 1 per group) 
- Graph paper (up front in case they need it)  
- Colored pencils (for exit ticket) 
- Empty aquarium (for float or sink do now) 
- Random objects to ask if they sink or float (for float or sink do now) 
- Salad dressing bottle or layered liquid bottle (for do now) 
- A print out of the challenge for students to keep while exploring (8 total) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Worksheets:  
 
The Suspended Potato Challenge 

 
Your Challenge​: With a cup of raw potato pieces make one piece float, one piece 
sink, and one piece remain suspended in water.  
 
You may only use the materials provided at the front of the room.  
 
Additionally, you must be able to explain ​why​ your potato pieces sink, float, and stay 
suspended.  
 
Do Now: Ranking ≥Objects by Mass & Volume  
 
 
Rank the objects from the object with the ​most mass ​to the object with the ​least 
mass​. Why do they think that?  

 
 
__________  __________ __________  __________ 
 
 
 
Rank the objects from the object with the ​most volume ​to the object with the ​least 
volume​. Why do they think that? 

 
 
__________  __________ __________  __________