Have students form groups of 3 or 4 individuals, each group will conduct the following experiment. Once again, students should notice that the greater the weight in the container the higher the level of displacement. This observation may lead to the conclusion that the weight of an object effects the amount of water that a object displaces. Next, place each object into a an overflow container and measure the amount of water displaced. Any object that floats should be held just below the water level, until the water empties into the graduated cylinder.
Students conclude that it is an objects' size that determines the amount of water displaced.
To prove the findings of experiment 2, perform experiment 3. Students should notice that both objects displace similar amounts of water, which would substantiate the findings of experiment 2. Next, hold a styrofoam cup submerged under water and record the amount of water displaced. Once again, students should notice that the cup displaces more water than the weight. Further, illustrating that it is the volume of an object that determines the amount of water that the object displaces.