When is a Glass of Water Really Full?

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In this activity, learners see how many coins they can add to a full glass of water before the water overflows. Use this activity to demonstrate the hydrophilic properties of water as well as surface tension. As an extension activity, learners can explore what happens when they add a few drops of dishwashing liquid to the water. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per student
Age Range:
Ages 6 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • a glass
  • some food coloring
  • some coins
  • a flashlight

Keywords

Subjects

  • Earth and Space Science
    • Earth Structure
      • Oceans and Water
  • Physical Sciences
    • Motion and Forces
    • Structure and Properties of Matter
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations

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, Ontario Science Centre, 2011