Make an egg float on water with this easy science experiment that will surely amaze young minds. The Floating Egg experiment uses simple items you can find at home. It’s easy to set up and easy to do. Our 6-year-old did it by himself. Just need to be careful with the glass.
We did the Floating Egg Experiment because Gab asked about the Dead Sea and why it is called as such. I remember a trivia about being able to float so easily in the Dead Sea so I told Gab that we can do an experiment about it.
As for why it is called the Dead Sea, we checked his travel book for the answer. According to the book, the Dead Sea is 10 times more salty than the ocean. As a result, animals and plants cannot live on it because it is too salty. There is no living thing that can survive on it, thus it is considered “dead”.
Here are the materials and produce in making The Floating Egg Experiment.
The Floating Egg Experiment
MATERIALS
- 2 raw eggs
- tap water
- salt
- 2 tall drinking glasses
PROCEDURE
- Take two eggs. Make sure they are warm or at room temperature.
- Pour tap water into each of the 2 tall glasses until it is about half full. Label the tall glasses as GLASS A and GLASS B.
- In GLASS B, stir in lots of salt (about 6 tablespoons). Wait for the salt to dissolve.
- Gently lower one egg into GLASS A. Observe what happens.
- Gently lower the other egg into GLASS B. Observe what happens.
NOTE: Wash your hands after handling raw eggs because they may carry salmonella.
Here’s a video of Gab doing the Floating Egg Experiment.
What is Happening?
The reason for the floating egg is due to the density of the materials. Less dense objects will float, while more dense objects will sink.
Without salt, the egg is more dense than tap water. Thus, the egg will sink. But by adding salt, the tap water becomes more dense than the egg. As a result, the egg will now float on salt water.
A more thorough explanation can be found here.
