Water is Polar!

    If you were asked: Can a piece of a mesh produce bag prevent water in a right-side-up glass bottle from pouring out? Would your answer be yes or no? To find out if your answer was or wasn't correct, watch the video below that two of my AP Biology classmates and I created! What you find out may surprise you as much as it did me! 

   

    Are you surprised? A piece of a mesh produce bag can prevent water in a right-side-up glass bottle from pouring out, which means the experiment that two of my AP Biology classmates and I performed was a success! Communication and teamwork are the main reasons why the experiment we performed was a success because we only had a 75-minute class period to perform the experiment while taking videos and photos, which we would then combine into one video with voice-overs about the performance and experiment before the class ended. The day before the class, we communicated with each other about the materials that we would be able to bring from our houses for the experiment, which is how we found out that none of us would be able to bring a piece of a mesh produce bag. After we found out, we contacted our teacher and asked her if she would be able to bring us a piece of a mesh produce bag, which she was kindly able to do. 

    In the class, as we gathered the materials for the experiment, we communicated with each other about the videos and photos we would take, who would take them, and who would be in them. With a plan set in place, we were able to finish taking videos and photos quickly, especially since we were able to perform the experiment successfully on our first try. After we finished taking videos and photos, we communicated with each other about who was going to combine the videos and photos into one video, who would edit the video if there was time, and who was going to do the voice-overs by reading off the script with information each of us had researched the day before the class. With another plan set in place, we were able to finish the video you just saw on time!

    The materials that we gathered for the experiment were a piece of a mesh produce bag, a rubber band, water, an empty glass bottle, and a toothpick. First, the empty glass bottle was filled with water, and then, the piece of the mesh produce bag was placed on the top of the glass bottle, which the rubber band was tied around to ensure that it stayed in place. Finally, the glass bottle was turned right-side-up and the toothpick was put inside it. Remember the surface tension that prevented the water from pouring out of the right-side-up glass bottle was due to cohesion, which is the attraction between similar molecules. That being said, the attraction between water molecules combined with the attraction between water and mesh molecules caused the water to defy gravity. Adhesion is the attraction between different molecules, such as water and mesh molecules. Still doubtful? Well, now that you know the exact materials and steps of the experiment, maybe you can try to perform it and observe the mystery of water suspension!

Works Cited

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