A Wacky Way to WeighMathematics for Grade 3-5

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THE COUCH POTATO LAB:

A Wacky Way to WeighRIDDLE TIME

Q: Which is heavier: A pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?

A: Neither! They both weigh the same amount!

If this question stumped you, you probably are thinking about the amount of space that the objects take up. That’s called VOLUME… A pound of feathers will take up more space than a pound of bricks.

Today’s ExperimentToday we are going to test if bigger objects always weigh

more than smaller objects. This might help explain the riddle!

We’re going to make our own scales so we can weigh different objects!

What is MASS?It’s how much something weighs

Let’s make a scale! What is VOLUME?

It’s how much space an

object takes up

STEP 1: Gather these materials:Curriculum Connection(s):

SS5.3Demonstrate an understanding of volume

SS3.2Demonstrate understanding of measuring mass

Let’s make a scale!

STEP 2: Cut 2 pieces of string that are TWICE the length of your arm

STEP 3: With an adult’s help, poke a pencil sized hole on the brim of 1 cup. Directly across from that hole, poke another. Repeat this for the second cup.

STEP 4: Drape a piece of string over one of the ends of the clothes hanger.

STEP 5: Tie the dangling ends of string, tothe holes in the cup. Double knot them!

STEP 6: Add a piece of tape on top of the string that’s draped over the clothes hanger. This will prevent it from sliding around.

STEP 7: Repeat the instructions for the otherend of the scale. Then you’re done!

THE COUCH POTATO LAB:

A Wacky Way to Weigh

STEP 8: Find a door knob to hang your scale onto.

Step 2: Add Object 1 into one cup, and Object 2 into the second cup… The HEAVIER object will sink further down. Record your observations during the experiment.

Object 1 Object 2 Which object is bigger (volume)?

Use your eyeballs and sense of

touch to figure this out

Which object is heavier (mass)?

Use your scale to figure

this out

Was the bigger object

heavier?

Pudding cup vs. iPhone ex. iPhone ex. iPhone YES

Apple vs. A cup of cotton balls

1 piece of bread vs. 1 spoon

3 twigs vs. 3 rocks (the size of grapes)

Half a cup of dry cereal

vs Half a cup of soil/sand/dirt

Create your own! vs Create your own!

THE COUCH POTATO LAB:

A Wacky Way to WeighExperiment Time!Step 1: Gather these materials for our experiment:- Apple- Cotton balls- 1 piece of bread

- 1 spoon- 3 twigs- 3 rocks (the size

of grapes)

- Half a cup of dry cereal- Half a cup of

soil/sand/dirt- 2 random objects

Here’s a fun fact!The heaviest material in the world is Osmium. One handful of this metal weighs 35 pounds! If you were to fill a pop bottle up with Osmium,it would weigh ONE HUNDRED pounds!

The Results

Q: Did any of the smaller objects weigh more than the bigger objects? (Look back at the results in your data table)

If YES, then we can make a conclusionthat bigger objects aren’t always heavier than smaller objects.

This is because their volumes and massesaren't the same thing.

Hopefully the riddle at the beginning makesmore sense now!

What is MASS?It’s how much something weighsWhat is VOLUME?

It’s how much space an

object takes up

OSMIUM

= 100lbs

THE COUCH POTATO LAB:

A Wacky Way to Weigh

A DENSE objectIf something weighs a lot

but takes up a small

amount of space, we say

that the object is DENSE.