Exploring density and Charles’ Law Using Ivory Soap

Ivory soap is has some interesting characteristics that we can discover through some simple
experiments.

Experiment 1: Does soap sink or float?

Materials:

• bar of Ivory Soap

• 2-3 different brands of soap, maybe even one that is a smallish sliver of soap.
• large bowl or tub
• water
• paper towels
• knife
• kitchen scale (optional)

Caution: Adult assistance needed for using the knife.

Method:

Step 1. Fill bowl or tub with tap water.

Step 2: If you have a kitchen scale, weigh each bar of soap. Record the results.

Step 3. Predict whether bars will float or sink

Step 4. Carefully, one at a time, add bars to water.

Step 5. Record observations

What happens to the bar of Ivory Soap? It floats
What happens to the other brands of soap? They don’t float.

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Exploring density and Charles’ Law Using Ivory Soap

Example of results

Brand 1 Brand 2 Brand 3 (large) Brand 4 (small)

Brand soap Ivory Dove Dial Dial
Prediction Float Sink Sink Float
Actual Float Sink Sink Sink
Weight (oz) 4½ 3¾ 2¼ ¾

Interestingly enough, the bar of Ivory soap was actually the HEAVIEST bar of soap, and yet it
was the only one that floated.

Reason: In order for something to float in water, it must mean that it is less dense than water.
Density is NOT the same as weight. Density has to do with how tightly packed the molecules
are. In the soaps that sink, the soap molecules are densely packed. In the Ivory soap that floats,
the soap molecules are less tightly packed.

So what is taking up the space if not soap molecules?

It turns out, in the manufacturing process, air is pumped into the soap as it is being made. It
effect, the soap is whipped like whip cream before it is formed into bars. It’s the only bar on the
market that floats.

In order for us to test this effect, we actually did another experiment in conjunction with the
soap.

We actually WHIPPED cream to really see how if we could test this out.

Experiment 2: Making a solid less dense than a liquid

Materials:

• Heavy whipping cream

• bowl
• whisk or electric beater
• clear glass cup or bowl
• water
• small container for transferring (optional)

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Exploring density and Charles’ Law Using Ivory Soap

Method:

Step 1. Pour a small amount of un-whipped whipping cream into a clear bowl or cup containing
tap water.

Step 2. Observe what happens

The cream sinks, and after a pretty swirling pattern occurs, the cream will eventually spread out
to fill the container. (if you wait a long while, the cream will probably rise back up to the top).

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Exploring density and Charles’ Law Using Ivory Soap

Step 4. Take the remainder of the heavy cream and whip a very, long time. Observe the air
bubbles being created by the process of whipping.
Be careful not to overwhip or you’ll make butter. If you overwhip the butter, you’ll have a mess.

Step 5. Take a dollop of whip cream and put it into a fresh cup or bowl of water and observe.

What happens?

The cream floats on top because we whipped air into the cream, making it less dense (there are
less cream molecules because the air molecules, which are less dense than water, take up some of
the spaces, giving the cream buoyancy).

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Exploring density and Charles’ Law Using Ivory Soap

(Optional step 6: Use the leftover whip cream to top on pie or

Add cinnamon and honey to the rest of the whip cream and whip a little longer. You just made
and make cinnamon honey butter)

Step 7: Now, break open the bar of soap.

Do you see the air pockets inside? No.

So how can we tell this bar of soap is whipped?

Well, you can HEAT it up and see what happens.

Experiment 3: What happens when you heat Ivory soap in the microwave?

Materials:

• 1 bar of ivory soap

• glass plate
• Microwave oven

Method:

Caution: Adult supervision needed with the microwave.

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Exploring density and Charles’ Law Using Ivory Soap

Step 1: Place one bar of soap (or a cut up bar of soap) onto one glass plate.

Step 2: Set the microwave for 2 minutes. (note, stop it before the soap spills over the plate).

Step 3: Observe.

So what is happening?

When the soap is heated, the molecules of air in the soap move faster causing them to move far
away from each other. This causes the soap to blow up like a balloon. Charles’ Law states that as
the temperature of a gas increases so does its volume. Other brands of soap without whipped air
tend to heat up and melt in the microwave.

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Exploring density and Charles’ Law Using Ivory Soap

Results

Experiment 1: Does soap sink or float?

Brand 1 Brand 2 Brand 3 Brand 4

Brand
soap
Prediction
Actual
Weight
(oz)

What happens to the bar of Ivory Soap?

_________________________________________________________________

What happens to the other brands of soap?

_________________________________________________________________

So what is taking up the space if not soap molecules?

________________________________________________________________

Experiment 2: Making a solid less dense than a liquid

What do you see?

__________________________________________________

What happens?

_______________________________________________________________

Do you see the air pockets inside?

_______________________________________________________________

Experiment 3: What happens when you heat Ivory soap in the microwave?

What happens when you heat ivory soap

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Exploring density and Charles’ Law Using Ivory Soap

__________________________________________________________________
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