Water is one of nature’s most unique substances, so it’s only natural that there are numerous science experiments that center around it. However, these seven science experiments are cool not because they involve water, but because they require only water. So, if you have running water, there’s no excuse! Try out these seven awesome science experiments that only require water.
Number Seven: Magic Ice. If you place an ice cube on a plate and pour water that is near freezing but not quite freezing on top of it, you’ll begin to see a tower of ice form. Water’s properties allow molecules that are almost frozen to freeze instantly when they come in contact with other frozen molecules.
Number Six: Tricky Leak. Take a full water bottle, and poke several holes in the side that are at the very same level. If you set the water bottle down on a table, no water will come out of the holes – again, it is imperative that you poke the holes at the exact same level around the circumference of the bottle. When your friend or family member picks up the bottle, however, the pressure will force the water to spur from the holes!
Number Five: The Pencil Trick. Fill a plastic bag with water and seal it shut. If you take a pencil and push it through both sides of the bag, not a single droplet of water will leak out! You can do this with however many pencils you want.
Number Four: The Osmotic Towel. Take two glasses of water; fill one very little, and fill another one all the way up. Take a dry towel, put the two glasses of water next to each other, and put the towel in both glasses of water. Make sure the towel is in contact with water in both glasses. If you wait several hours and come back, the water levels in the glasses will be the same!
Number Three: Don’t Touch the Cork. Place a cork in a glass of water that isn’t full, and ask a friend to make the cork go to the middle of the glass without touching the cork. When they can’t figure it out, just fill the glass of water all the way to the top to the point where the glass is about to leak, and wait. The cork will gravitate away from the rim and toward the middle of the glass.
Number Two: The Master Paperclip. Challenge a friend to put a paperclip on top of a glass of water without it sinking. When your friend is totally stumped, just take one paperclip, and bend it so you can hang another paperclip on it. Very gently, dip the paperclip holding the other one in the water, and release the hanging paperclip on top of the water. The pointing paperclip is thin enough that it won’t break the surface tension of the water, allowing the other paperclip to sit on top comfortably.
Number One: Hot Water. Boil a small amount of water over a stove on high heat. Let the water boil until it completely disappears, and then wait a couple minutes. After the couple minutes have past, pour just a few drops of water into the pan. They don’t steam away! In fact, they seem to “stick” together. Your kids will never be able to figure out what happened.