2006-11-01 12:10:31 · 24 answers · asked by d b 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
could be pumice..or it could be dried up poo :P
2006-11-01 12:13:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sure. Small rocks, mud, cherries, churches...they all float.
No, seriously, pumice floats. It's pretty cool. It's fluffy volcanic ash stuff with a bunch of gases whipped into it that cools to a rock, but it floats because it has lots of little air bubbles when it's cooled down. Try scrubbing a callous with it, or rubbing it on a rock or something. Pumice will scrub- a - dub - dub with the best of abrasives. Otherwise, it's something dried up and probably yucky.
But if it's pumice, see where he found it and if there are other volcanic rocks around (or a Dr. Scholl's factory--they have pumice, too.) It might be a fun learning opportunity to learn about the geology of your area.
Or something hokey like that. Leave it to me to come up with cheezy academic fun!
2006-11-01 12:18:24 · answer #2 · answered by SlowClap 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There can, indeed, be such a thing! Your son has found something that most scientists don't even know about.
Some rocks actually have such a rough and potentially pourous surface that they allow air to be captured with the very rock itself! If enough air bubbles are captured inside....the rock will most definitely float! It's truly amazing the first time you see such a phenomenon.
I've found a website for you that does a pretty good job at explaining it...or, at least, better than I'm attempting to do. :)
Please do visit: http://www.childrensmuseum.org/geomysteries/floatingrock/a1.html
Your child should be commended for his find and what a wonderful item for him to bring to school to show his science teacher. That rock he found is a life-long keeper, as most people don't find such a thing during their entire life! Cheers :)
2006-11-01 12:17:19 · answer #3 · answered by s g 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why, yes. There are such rocks that do in fact float. Limestone, pumice, and few others can float.
2006-11-01 12:12:57 · answer #4 · answered by some guy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Besides pumice which does float, practically any other stone will float as well if it is small enough and and has enough surface area to not excede the surface tension of the liquid it is floated on. Small flakes of gold will float quite well, thank you! So will small flakes of any stone. They are not floating because of displacement, they are floating on the surface tension of the liquid. When the weight of any stone exceeds the surface tension of the liquid, down it goes. Any rock can float, it just depends on the size of the rock!
2006-11-01 13:15:13 · answer #5 · answered by price7204 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes Pumice
2006-11-01 12:11:55 · answer #6 · answered by Pauline 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The rock is so light, that many pumice rocks will actually float in water.
2006-11-01 12:19:14 · answer #7 · answered by Dream catcher 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes Pumice and some dry Chalks. Pumice is Volcanic and looks like dark glassy foam.
2006-11-01 12:12:42 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes it is pumice a volcanic rock of light weight an full of air bubbles.
2006-11-03 18:35:18 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pumice floats and is used to remove scaly skin and other applications.
Does it look like the picture in the wiki article?
2006-11-01 13:11:50 · answer #10 · answered by Mike J 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pumice? I'm pretty sure that floats. It's a volcanic rock.
2006-11-01 12:12:18 · answer #11 · answered by random6x7 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋