Two Beakers, Five E’s, Twenty Pennies, and Archimedes’ Principle

The lesson presented here provides a multifaceted inquiry-based opportunity to develop a deep grasp of Archimedes’ principle. It was originally developed for high school teachers as part of their training in the basic structure of the Next Generation Science Standards. There are numerous demonstrations illustrating Archimedes’ principle, many of which can be found in this journal. (Please see the online appendix for further references from this journal.) However, we have a unique combination of ingredients, i.e., the particular puzzle it addresses and its associated historical context; the biological application; the accessible, hands-on collection and exploration of data; the powerful graphs encouraging physics-based explanations; and the ability to compare with an analytical solution. These materials brought together in one place provide teachers a novel and exceptionally rich recipe to bring to their classrooms.