How does paper towels absorb

Home Archives About Contact. By Danit Brown Posted February 28, Media Player Error Update your browser or Flash plugin. Key To Absorption The small molecules that combine to make up cellulose are sugar molecules; that's the key to the absorbency of paper towels.

Inedible Sugar Although cellulose contains sugar molecules, that doesn't mean paper towels are edible. Olaf College. Unusual Containers Looking at the way in which water is held inside a rigid, hard container such as a bowl or a cup, it can be baffling to try to figure out how a porous, soft object like a sponge, cloth or disposable paper towel, can absorb and hold water. Magic Science Tricks for Kids. How Does a Suction Cup Work?

Why Does Chromatography Work? How to Make Bouncy Putty. How to Make Things Float in Water. As a result, paper readily absorbs water. Paper towels are especially absorbent because their cellulose fibers have empty spaces—tiny air bubbles—between them. Water molecules, which like to stay together, follow the one another as they are absorbed by the cellulose and fill the empty spaces. Layering the paper towel creates more spaces for water to fill, which explains why your layered paper towel could hold more water and was more efficient at drying your hands.

The next time you reach for the paper towels, remember to fold! You might feel good knowing you just saved an extra paper towel from being used. This activity brought to you in partnership with Science Buddies. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Discover World-Changing Science. Key concepts Absorption Paper Water Molecules Introduction We all know that washing hands throughout the day can help keep colds and flu at bay.

Materials Five or more identical paper towels—preferably the type in public restrooms In case you would like to test different types of paper towels, choose at least five identical towels of each type. Do not worry about wasting a few towels—this activity might help save paper in the long run!

Water Place to hang a paper towel to drip Kitchen scale, one-gram precision or better Paper and pen or pencil for recording weights A workspace that can get a little wet Scissors to make towels smaller for small hands optional Preparation Assemble all of your materials at your workspace.

Procedure Unfold the first paper towel if you have the prefolded type. Wet it thoroughly and hang it so all of the excess water drips out. When the towel no longer drips, weigh it on a kitchen scale. You can heap up the towel on the scale rather than neatly folding it. The clothes shrink and wrinkle in the process. You must be logged in to post a comment.

How does a paper towel absorb water?