«CLIPS IN WATER

EXPERIMENT»
SCIENCE LAB

RICARDO LEON SIMON

THIRD GRADE
«JULIO VERNE»
When you carefully put a metal or
plastic clip on a glass of water, it
will not sink. Why?
Metal Clips are denser than water and therefore
will sink to the bottom of the glass of water.
However, the SURFACE TENSION is strong
enough that an item such as a metal or plastic
clip can be made to float on water.
What was different about the paper
clip that was dropped into the glass of
water versus the one that floated?
By gently placing the metal clip on its side on top of
the water, the force of SURFACE TENSION is able to
keep the metal clip floating. The weight of the metal
clip is distributed over the largest area posible, so the
water´s SURFACE TENSION is able to overcome the
weight of the metal clip and make it float
What happened with the addition
of soap?
The soap is a SURFACTANT that interferes with
the water molecules ability to bind to each
other. This lowers the surface tension in the
metal clip , sinking instead of floating

What else might be able to float on water?

How about in water with soap?

Many items can float on water but once they

become wet they will sink because they are
denser than water. Pepper is a good example. It
will float on water if sprinkled on top . If soap is
added , pepper will sink.
How do some insects walk on water?

Insects that walk on water are using the same property as

the floating metal clip. The large surface area of their feet
allows their weight to be distributed in such a way that the
water´s SURFACE TENSION can overcome the force of the
insect´s body, allowing them to float and glide on the
water.
THANK
YOU
VERY
MUCH