Student Case Studies

Tension Mounts In Science Club!

May 24, 2018

Tension Mounts In Science Club!

This week the Year 7 Science Club investigated the surface tension of water.  They started by trying to see who could put as many drops of water as possible onto a penny.  A fantastic dome of water was formed on the coin, demonstrating how the water molecules at the outer surface gripped each other to prevent spillage.  The most careful students, got 50 to 60 drops on the penny before the surface tension was overcome and the water overflowed. 

The second experiment began by floating a paper clip on the surface of a beaker of water.  The surface tension holds the paper clip up, but they saw that if touching the water with the glass rod dipped in washing up liquid, reduced the surface tension causing the paper clip to sink.