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Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: The surface tension of water

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Hand holds stick onto surface of water in a drinking glass
Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: The surface tension of water

SUBJECTS:  Science

YEARS:  7–8


Imagine you could walk on water!

Some insects can do just that.

Watch as the Surfing Scientist conducts this science experiment using a paperclip and a glass of water to demonstrate how this is possible.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Have you ever seen water dripping from a tap? Did you notice how the drop gets bigger until it 'falls' away from the tap in the shape of a sphere Have you ever seen how drops of rain behave on a waxed car? Can you name the property of water that explains these observations?
  2. 2.The Surfing Scientist asks Elliot if the paper clip will sink or float in the water. What do you predict will happen?Detergent is added to the water. Which property of water is changed as a result?
  3. 3.The surface tension of water is caused by forces acting on water molecules. The forces acting on the molecules at the surface of the water behave differently from those acting on the molecules further down in the glass. Can you explain why? It might helpful if you draw a diagram.
  4. 4.Draw a children's cartoon about a water strider (insect) who is happily walking on the surface of a pond looking for food. Detergent from a nearby campsite finds its way into the pond, leading to a sad end for the water strider. Underneath your cartoon add labelled diagrams of the arrangement of particles, and the forces acting on them, at each stage of the story.


Production Date: 2008


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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