Final answer:
The statement is false; whether an item sinks or floats depends on its density relative to water, not just its volume. A larger item with the same mass as a smaller one may float if its density is less than the density of water.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that an item will sink because it has a larger volume, despite having the same mass as another item, is false. Whether an item floats or sinks in water depends upon its density compared to the density of water. If two items have the same mass but different volumes, the larger item will have a lower density. However, whether it floats or sinks will depend on whether this density is greater or less than that of water. Density is calculated by dividing the mass by the volume, and an object will float if its density is less than the density of water.
For example, consider a block of brass and a block of wood with the same mass. Brass has a higher density than water, so it will sink, while wood typically has a lower density than water, so it will float. The volume of the object contributes to how much water it displaces, which relates to Archimedes' Principle, stating that the buoyant force on an object submerged in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. Therefore, even if an object is large in volume, if its overall density is less than that of water, it will float.