“Why does a lump of clay sink in water, but float when it is a different shape?”
A lump of clay sinks in water because the density of the clay is greater than the density of the water. Greater density means that the particles making up the clay are packed closer togerther than the water molecules making up the water. The gravity is pushing down on the clay for it to sink.
As you can tell, clay sinks once put in water |
But clay wouldn't sink if we made it in a shape like a boat
It would float because there is air in the inside of the boat. The air and clay displaces water and the average density of both air and clay is less than the water