Pepper & surface tension Follow FizzicsEd 150 Science Experiments: Comments 1 You will need: White pepper One white plate Clear water Detergent A mess bucket and cleaning materials Copyright Instruction 1 Pour water into a shallow plate 2 Sprinkle white pepper over the surface of the water. 3 Add a drop of detergent into the center of the plate and watch the pepper spread out! 4 Get the Unit of Work on Water Science here! Explore the water cycle Learn about cohesion, adhesion & capillary action From water currents to floatation, join us to explore water science! Includes cross-curricular teaching ideas, student quizzes, a sample marking rubric, scope & sequences & more 5 School science visits since 2004! – Curriculum-linked & award-winning incursions. – Over 40 primary & high school programs to choose from. – Designed by experienced educators. – Over 2 million students reached. – Face to face incursions & online programs available. – Early learning centre visits too! 6 Online courses for teachers & parents – Help students learn how science really works What is happening? All liquids have surface tension along the surface of a liquid, caused by inter-molecular forces within the liquid pulling liquid molecules together. Because of surface tension, liquid surfaces act like a kind of ‘skin’, able to support small insects and materials on their surface. Your detergent molecules reduced the water surface tension in the centre of the plate and so the higher surface tension at the edge of the plate pulled the pepper outwards. This is an example of the Marangoni effect in action. The Marangoni effect describes how a liquid with a high surface tension pulls more strongly on the surrounding liquid than a liquid with a low surface tension. If you change the surface tension of some parts of the liquid you introduce a difference in surface tension or ‘gradient’. A presence of a surface tension gradient will cause the liquid to flow from areas of low surface tension to high surface tension. Put simply, the water surface was pulled outwards! Variables to test More on variables here Hot vs. cold water What happens when you use different liquids? Different size granules on top of the water You can use surface tension to make cardboard boats shoot across water! Learn more! Teaching about Newton’s laws? Check out the Forces, Friction & Movement workshop! Get in touch with FizzicsEd to find out how we can work with your class. Working with Water Years K to 2 Maximum 30 students School workshop (NSW & VIC) 60 or 90 minutes Online Class Available Read More Enquire Now Rubber band powered boat $10.95 inc. GST View Details Add to Cart Trustpilot STEM Full Day Accelerator - Primary Designed from real classroom experiences, this modular day helps you create consistently effective science learning that directly address the new curriculum with easily accessible and cost-effective materials. Read More Enquire Now Be Amazing! How to teach science, the way primary kids love. $29.95 inc. GST View Details Add to Cart Trustpilot
Get the Unit of Work on Water Science here! Explore the water cycle Learn about cohesion, adhesion & capillary action From water currents to floatation, join us to explore water science! Includes cross-curricular teaching ideas, student quizzes, a sample marking rubric, scope & sequences & more
School science visits since 2004! – Curriculum-linked & award-winning incursions. – Over 40 primary & high school programs to choose from. – Designed by experienced educators. – Over 2 million students reached. – Face to face incursions & online programs available. – Early learning centre visits too!
Teaching about Newton’s laws? Check out the Forces, Friction & Movement workshop! Get in touch with FizzicsEd to find out how we can work with your class.
Working with Water Years K to 2 Maximum 30 students School workshop (NSW & VIC) 60 or 90 minutes Online Class Available Read More Enquire Now
STEM Full Day Accelerator - Primary Designed from real classroom experiences, this modular day helps you create consistently effective science learning that directly address the new curriculum with easily accessible and cost-effective materials. Read More Enquire Now
Designed from real classroom experiences, this modular day helps you create consistently effective science learning that directly address the new curriculum with easily accessible and cost-effective materials.
Be Amazing! How to teach science, the way primary kids love. $29.95 inc. GST View Details Add to Cart Trustpilot
This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
Thank you for looking to subscribing to our newsletter 🙂 Through this service you’ll be first to know about the newest free experiments, science news and special offers. PLUS: Get a free Kitchen Chemistry Booklet with >20 experiments, how to use variables plus a handy template!
Please fill out the details below and an email will be sent to you. Once you get that just click on the link to confirm your subscription and you're all done!