A journal entitiled Asia – Pacific on Science Learning and Teaching (APSLT ) stated that many students have misconceptions regarding floatation or “sink or float phenomena ‘ Misconceptions probably arise due to certain observations that deviate from scientific laws . ADDIN EN .CITE June Proble matic issue for students : Does it sink or float ?Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and TeachingAsia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching61June 2005http /www .ied .edu .hk /apfslt /v6_issue1 /costu /index .htm absO ctober 25 , 2006 “Problematic issue for students : Does it sink or float ” June 2005 ) Possession of these misconceptions can lead to learning problems . ADDIN EN .CITE Scienc e Misconceptions2005http /www .newyorkscienceteacher .com /default /NYST /Site /M isconceptions .htmOctober 25 ,2006 “Science Misconceptions ,2005 )Misconception on floatation occurs because this concept involves complex reasoning . The presuppositions regarding the sink or float phenomenon is identified based on the test conducted by the institution on elementary students . The test includes a twenty – item multiple choice Sinking and Floating Conceptual Test . ADDIN EN .CITE June Proble matic issue for students : Does it sink or float ?Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and TeachingAsia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching61June 2005http /www .ied .edu .hk /apfslt /v6_issue1 /costu /index .htm absO ctober 25 , 2006 “Problematic issue for students : Does it sink or float ” June 2005 ) Based on the obtained results , certain misconceptions on factors that determine whether an object will sink or float are the mass or weight of an object , the volume of an object , and the amount of water in a container .Also , it was observed that prospect students have a hard time understanding density . One of the major factors that can determine whether an object will sink or float is its density . Density is defined mathematically as mass per unit volume , kg /m3 . ADDIN EN .CITE October Densit yOctober 2005http /en .wikipedia .org /wiki /DensityOctober 25 ,2006October 25 ,2006 “Density , October 2005 ) It is unique for every material . The density of many object are compared to the density of water . If the density of an object is less than the density of water then that object will float , otherwise it will sink . ADDIN EN .CITE OphardtCharles E .OphardtWhat is DENSITY ?2003http /www .elmhurst .edu chm /vchembook /120Adensity .htmlOctober 25 ,2006 (Ophardt , 2003 ) Oil is less dense than water , so it must be expected that oil will float in water . Density must not be referred as the weight of an object or its mass or even the force that pushes the object up . Clearly , it is not the mass or volume of an object that determines if it will float or not , but rather , the combined ratio of this fundamental units . Mass and weight cannot be interchanged or be confused of . Mass is constant for a certain matter , however , weight is only proportional to the mass of the body and is also dependent on its location in the universe . It is location dependent since it is also proportional to the gravitational force exerted on the body . ADDIN EN .CITE OphardtCharles…