Visualizing Density: The Liquid Tower Experiment

Next Generation Science

This educational video from the "Lighthouse Lab" series features host Chelsea demonstrating the scientific concept of density through a clear and engaging visual experiment. The video begins by defining density simply as "the amount of matter packed into a given volume" before constructing a density column using four common household liquids: honey, dish soap, vegetable oil, and isopropyl alcohol. Viewers watch as the liquids separate into distinct layers based on their densities. The second half of the video takes the experiment further by testing the density of four solid objects: a polystyrene ball, a marble, a plastic block, and a tea candle. Chelsea drops each object into the beaker, and students can observe exactly where each item settles within the liquid layers. This visual evidence allows viewers to compare the relative densities of the solids against the liquids and each other. This video is an excellent resource for upper elementary and middle school science classrooms. It provides a practical, easy-to-replicate demonstration of abstract concepts like mass, volume, and density. Teachers can use this video to introduce a unit on properties of matter, to model the scientific method through prediction and observation, or as a guide for a hands-on lab activity where students create their own density columns.