WhyMommy is having surgery today, due to a recurrence of her cancer. This science (ahem) is for her. :)
Has anyone asked you to so a science experiment lately? Not me! There were so many I wanted to do but they all involved food coloring which of course, I don't have! So I got out my USB microscope and started looking at the hair on my legs. Uh no. Not a good reveal, that one. I finally decided to show how capillary action works. Enjoy!
The explanation. Or something.
Your paper towel rope (or wick) starts getting wet, after a few minutes you will notice that the empty glass is starting to fill with water, it keeps filling until there is an even amount of water in each glass, how does this happen?
This process is called 'capillary action', the water uses this process to move along the tiny gaps in the fibre of the paper towels. It occurs due to the adhesive force between the water and the paper towel being stronger than the cohesive forces inside the water itself. This process can also be seen in plants where moisture travels from the roots to the rest of the plant.
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