When you put a piece of heavy steel in water, it sinks. Then how are massive boats that are made of steel able to float? Density and surface area is the answer. In this workshop, students will learn how the density of objects and the materials used play a key role in the making of a boat. Archimedesâ principle shows us that we can use the displacement of water to find the density of liquids and solids. We will learn how they can use this principle in real life situations. Students will get to use an easy-to-use applet to simulate the properties of floating objects. Students will have to use math and their understanding of an objectâs properties to find out why that object will float. Students will also have to think critically about how they should take their measurements accurately and practically. Students will get many hands-on projects throughout the day. They will use the formula for density to find out how many marbles a Styrofoam cup can hold while in a pool of water. Students will be able to observe how the volume and mass of an object can help decide the maximum capacity of a boat. At the end of the day, the students will get to form teams and build a boat of their own design. The situation they are given is as follows: the teams formed are companies trying to build a boat that can carry a lot of marbles while using the least amount of money. Each building material has a price and the teams must âbuyâ them and use them to build a model of their design. This project allows for the students to be creative and dig deep into their inner engineer to create something that can withstand lots of pressure and weight. This lesson goes very in depth into the making and understanding of how a boat floats. Density and mass play a big role in making a buoyant object. Using the mass and volume we can find out what the object is made out of. We can learn a lot from an object just from its volume, mass, and density.