Walking Water Experiment (Chemistry)

Using simple materials that you can find in the kitchen, including food coloring, water glasses, and paper towels, learn about the adhesion and cohesion of water as the water travels through the paper towel to mix the food coloring.

A fun science experiment for kids and grown-ups alike! 🌈

▶️ Get supplies for the walking water experiment:
https://www.beardedscienceguy.com/how...

▶️ How to do the walking water experiment:
Step 1: Start by setting out five empty glasses beside each other.

Step 2: Fill the first, third, and fifth glasses with water.

Step 3: Add food coloring to the water glasses. I wanted a normal color spectrum, so I used
4-5 drops of red
1 drop of yellow
2-3 drops of blue

Step 4: Fold/roll up the paper towels, then fold them in half. If you're using shorter glasses, you may need to cut the paper towel so that they're no longer than the cups.

Step 5: Slide one of the paper towels in between each of the glasses.

Step 6: Observe as the water starts to flow through the paper towel, filling up the empty glasses.

▶️ How the walking water experiment works:
You'll notice that as the water travels through the paper towel, it carries some of the molecules of food coloring. The water molecules have a slightly positive and a slightly negative end, and these charges allow them to be attracted to each other as well as attracted to other substances. These properties of adhesion and cohesion are what allowed the water molecules to climb to the top of the paper towel, but at the same time, the water molecules are also undergoing a downward force due to gravity. These forces act together, allowing the water to travel from one glass to another. However, once the water level reaches the same point in the glasses, an equilibrium is reached and everything stays in balance.

-------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE for more cool science experiments!
https://www.youtube.com/c/BeardedScie...

Find me on Facebook!
  / beardedscienceguy