Apple bobbing is an autumn party classic. Ever wondered why the apples float at all - and what else in your kitchen would?
Sink or BobWill it bob in the tub?
Line up a few everyday things, call each one bob or sink, then see where each lands - reasoned from what it is made of, not from how heavy it feels.
1 The line-up
Name each thing as you would drop it in - add a detail when it matters (peeled, sealed, fresh). Your call is optional.
2 The tub free
The page's own read
3 Dunk it
One run takes every item back to first principles: the hunch it tests, two basic facts about what it is made of, a density range and a verdict - bobs, rides low, sinks or depends - plus a safe way to check at home. The page re-checks each verdict against the run's own numbers and scores your calls.
The dunked line-up - none yet
-The page's check
4 Saved tubs
How the tub decides
Something floats when its whole-object density - everything it holds, trapped air and juice included - is less than the water's. Plain water is about 1.00 g/cm3; strong salt water about 1.10. Give each item a density range, then check in order: a range that straddles the water's density depends on a detail the name leaves open; a range at or above it sinks; a top end within 10% of it rides low; anything lighter bobs. An apple is roughly a quarter air, which is why it bobs.
Keep it safe: the densities are rough estimates, not lab data, and this is a light curiosity tool, not professional advice. Keep electronics, batteries, books and anything precious out of the water, never put a living creature in, and watch children around any tub or bowl of water. Nothing you type is kept unless you press save.