Help!!! Liquids/density question!?

Question

What will happen when corn syrup, vingar, and cooking oil are placed into the same container?
Predict whether a piece of cork and a plastic block will float or sink in the container.
PLEASE HELP! thanks:)

Answer 1

You need to know the densities of each of the materials to answer this question.
Things that have a high density will sink and things that have a low density will rise when they are mixed together. For example if the density of liquid A is 1 and the density of liquid B is 3 and you mix them together, liquid B will settle to the bottom of your container and liquid A will rise to the top. If you add a block with a density of 4, it will sink to the bottom. A block with a density of 2 will float in the middle of liquids A and B, and a block with the density of 1/2 will float to the top.

With this example and the densities of your liquids and blocks, you can finish your homework!

Answer 2

I agree with everyone who said 'try it out'.

Still there is a bit that is missing in their responses. Assuming relatively equal amounts of the liquids, if the entire mixture is thoroughly mixed (shaken, not stirred), the two aqueous phases will join and become one. Corn syrup is aqueous due to it's ability to be dissolved into water. Vinegar is only ~4 % acetic acid (rest is water). Anyway, the vinegar will dissolve the syrup. Aqueous liquids are typically more dense than oils (the non-aqueous, hydrocarbon liquid here). Since most (all?) cooking oils are light, the oil should be on top of the aqueous phase. This of course can only happen when the mixture is left to sit.

By the way, the recipe above is very similar to a house vinaigrette, that is, salad dressing. If it had the '11 herbs and spices', it would be like one of my more favorites: Zesty Italian.

Answer 3

the liquids will separate by density. with the densist being corn syrup, then the oil would settle and finally the vinegar.

The block and a cork would both float. if you put a lego toy in water it will float and so will the block.
The only way the block wouldn't float is if were made out of a plastic that was more dense than the water.

Answer 4

I am pretty sure that oil floats on top of water.
Vinegar is acetic acid in aqueous solution which might dissolve some of the corn syrup.
Most cork and toy blocks will float even in oil.

Answer 5

corn syrup is the heaviest and will sink to the bottom, cooking oil is heavier (more dense) than vinegar but not as heavy as corn syrup, so it will rest on top of the corn syrup, and vinegar will settle on the oil, which is on the cornsyrup
if you put a cork in the container its definitely going to float on top
because vinegar is mostly water anyways, try putting a cork in a sink full of water and see what happens...it floats
enjoy

Answer 6

Corn syrup and vinegar are water solutions of sugar and acetic acid. "Cooking oil" is a triester of a fatty acid with glycerol, which is immiscible with water. So the two liquids will separate into two layers, top and bottom. The cork and plastic whatsit will gravitate to the middle. I assume that your plastic block is one of polystryrene foam.

Answer 7

when the liquids go into a container they willl seperate acording to it's denstiy. The most dense at the bottom wile the least dense wil be at the top. to know ware the cork and platic block goes u need to no its density. if its more than a ssubstance than the cork or block will sink past it untill it finds an area where it fits.....

EASY

Answer 8

A piece of cork will float easily in this combination of common
cooking ingredients.
All three in the same container should produce a simple salad dressing.

Answer 9

the syrup will go to the bottom and the oil will go in the middle and the vinegar will go to the top. the cork will float

Answer 10

Aw, come on... this is a fun household experiment. Just get off the computer and do it yourself! If you don't have corn syrup in the house, honey is a reasonable substitute.