Exploring Properties of Water
VOCABULARY
Based on what you’ve learned in the lab and through these sites/videos from the
background info, define the following water property words IN YOUR OWN WORDS!
Cohesion:
Adhesion:
Specific Heat:
Water density:
Evaporation:
Condensation:
Precipitation:
Transpiration:
Hydrophobic:
Hydrophilic:
Surface tension:
Hydrogen bonding:
LAB ANALYSIS
If you were absent, go here and watch this video then for each demonstration
1. What property of water was demonstrated?
2. Answer the questions shown for the demonstration.
Carrot/Potato
1. Which object, carrot/potato, required the most amount of salt before it would
float?
2. What happened as the salt was added to the water?
3. If you were swimming, would it be easier to stay afloat in an ocean or a
freshwater lake?
4. What property of water do you think caused this difference?
Red Ice
1. How did the red/orange dye distribute in the cold water differently than the warm
water?
2. What property of water do you think caused this difference?
Pennies
1. How did the alcohol behave differently on the penny than the water behaved on
the penny?
2. Which penny held more drops?
3. What property of water do you think caused this difference?
Marker lines
1. Describe how the alcohol on the marker line was different than the water on the
marker line.
2. What property of water do you think caused this difference?
Floating paperclips
1. Was your group successful at floating at least one paperclip before adding soap?
2. What happened when soap was added?
3. What property of water do you think caused this difference?
4. How would an insect that looks like it's “standing on water” stay on top of the
water?
Milk and soap
1. Describe what you observed when you put the q-tip with soap on it into the milk.
2. What property of water do you think caused this?
Hydrophobic sand and hydrophilic beads
1. Describe what happened when you put (and left) the beads in water.
2. What property of water do you think caused this?
3. Describe what happened when you put the sand in the water.
4. What property of water do you think caused this?
5. How was this sand different than “normal” sand?