True or false questions for density

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around creating true or false questions related to the concept of density, aimed at addressing common misconceptions among students aged 13-14 during a practical lesson on measuring densities of various objects. Participants share ideas for questions and explore the implications of density in different contexts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest true or false questions, such as "Is a dense object always heavy?" and explore the nuances of density in practical scenarios.
  • One participant proposes a question about whether an object more dense than water will float, noting it as a trick question that depends on shape.
  • Another participant raises a question about the behavior of oil and water mixtures in space versus on Earth, expressing curiosity about the answer.
  • A participant mentions a question regarding a crown that appears to be gold but is actually made of lead, discussing its implications for understanding density and prompting deeper discussions among students.
  • Several participants discuss the effectiveness of true or false questions compared to multiple choice questions, suggesting that the latter may provide more insight into students' understanding.
  • One participant highlights the importance of numerical examples to help students grasp the relationship between mass, volume, and density.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present multiple competing views on the effectiveness of true or false questions versus multiple choice questions, and there is no consensus on the best approach to assess students' understanding of density.

Contextual Notes

Some questions raised depend on definitions and assumptions about density, such as the relationship between density, mass, and volume, which may not be fully resolved in the discussion.

Who May Find This Useful

Educators and trainee teachers looking for innovative ways to assess student understanding of density and related concepts in a classroom setting.

maximus123
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Hello, I'm a trainee teacher and I'm delivering a lesson with a practical where the students find the densities of various objects. I want to end the class with 8 to 10 true or false questions about density which test misconceptions on density. The one I have is

Is a dense object always heavy?

If anyone has any suggestions on others I could ask I would be very grateful.

Kind regards
 
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maximus123 said:
Hello, I'm a trainee teacher and I'm delivering a lesson with a practical where the students find the densities of various objects. I want to end the class with 8 to 10 true or false questions about density which test misconceptions on density. The one I have is

Is a dense object always heavy?

If anyone has any suggestions on others I could ask I would be very grateful.

Kind regards
Very fun question.

"Using only a Beam Balance, how can you determine which object is denser?"

"Using only plastic grocery bags and a swimming pool, how can you determine which object is denser?"

:smile:

EDIT -- Oops, sorry, I missed that they were supposed to be True/False questions. But these two questions can be re-formulated to be T/F as well.
 
Last edited:
BTW, my first question works for objects of different sizes, but my second question does not. Can you say why? :smile:
 
will an object more dense than water float? (~trick question; depends on shape)
 
phinds said:
trick question; depends on shape

Ack -- I'm not getting it. PM me a hint?
 
berkeman said:
Ack -- I'm not getting it. PM me a hint?
seems obvious, if you take a steel sheet it will sink but form it into a boat and it will float. Do you think that's somehow cheating?
 
phinds said:
seems obvious, if you take a steel sheet it will sink but form it into a boat and it will float. Do you think that's somehow cheating?

Depends on your definition of density. Or density, depending on the year... :smile:
 
maximus123 said:
Hello, I'm a trainee teacher and I'm delivering a lesson with a practical where the students find the densities of various objects. I want to end the class with 8 to 10 true or false questions about density which test misconceptions on density. The one I have is

Is a dense object always heavy?

If anyone has any suggestions on others I could ask I would be very grateful.

Kind regards

Here's a couple:
True/false: a (closed) truck carrying 8 tons of canaries weighs less if some of the canaries are flying around.
True/false: oil and water mixtures will behave the same on the space station as they do on the ground.

Some questions from me:
1) What is the age/grade of the students?
2) Why are you asking true/false questions instead of multiple choice questions? Even three options (e.g. 'more', 'less', 'same') will give you more information about concept confusion than 'true/false', which has a 50% correct answer rate when students randomly guess.
 
The students are 13-14 years. The true or false will be an activity in which the students use small white boards to write on and to hold up the answer to each question. I will then explain why the answer is either true or false. Thanks.
 
  • #10
Andy Resnick said:
True/false: oil and water mixtures will behave the same on the space station as they do on the ground.

GAH! Whats the answer to this? It's something I've wondered about before but couldn't find a definitive answer :D
 
  • #12
cpscdave said:
GAH! Whats the answer to this? It's something I've wondered about before but couldn't find a definitive answer :D

Here's a few videos:





Don Petit, who started doing these things, is awesome.
 
  • #13
I've always liked this one:

True or false: A flame will always burn upwards.

You could restrict the question to consider the Earth's atmosphere only, or generalize it.
 
  • #14
A crown appears to made of gold, but is really made of lead and has a coating of gold. The density of the crown will be greater than the density of gold.

To those who think this question is too simple, try it on your students. You'll be surprised. But the question is good in a situation like this because it launches discussions that lead to better comprehension. Some students will have to be led through a numerical example to be able to understand. Like two unit cubes made of different metals are welded together into a single object with a volume of two units. The density of the composite object has to be directly calculated for students to see that its density lies between the densities of the two metals. Many students, especially at that age, do not have a clear understanding of either mass or volume, so they can't possibly form an understanding of what happens when you form their ratio.

If you really want to pursue this line of pedagogy, try these:

A piece of paper is crumpled up. It's volume decreases.
A piece of paper is crumpled up. It's mass decreases.
A piece of paper is crumpled up. It's density increases.
 

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