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In this activity, challenge learners to float a paper clip in a cup of water. Learners discover that a paper clip will sink in a cup of water, except when it is placed on a piece of paper towel. Use this activity to demonstrate the principles of surface tension, adhesion/cohesion, and gravity. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]
- Under 5 minutes
- 5 to 10 minutes
- 1 cent - $1 per student
- Ages 6 - 11
- Activity
- English
Quick Guide
Materials List (per student)
- cup of water
- 2 paper clips
- paper towel
Subjects
-
Earth and Space Science
-
Earth Structure
- Oceans and Water
-
Earth Structure
-
Physical Sciences
-
Motion and Forces
- Gravity
-
States of Matter
- Liquids
-
Structure and Properties of Matter
- Atomic Structure
- Elementary Particles and Nuclear Physics
-
Motion and Forces
-
The Nature of Science
-
The Scientific Process
- Conducting Investigations
-
The Scientific Process
Audience
To use this activity, learners need to:
- see
- touch
Learning styles supported:
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
Other
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
Rights:
- All rights reserved, WGBH Educational Foundation, 2002
Funding Sources:
- National Science Foundation, 0229796
- Corporation for Public Broadcasting
- The Arthur Vining Davis Foundation
- PBS