Evaporating dish, Lycopodium powder
Lycopodium powder drawn away edges of evaporating dish

 

Code Number: 2A10.40

Demo Title: Surface Tension - Lycopodium Powder

Condition: Excellent

Principle: Surface Tension

Area of Study: Fluids

Equipment:

Evaporating dish, Lycopodium powder, toothpick, liquid soap.

Procedure:

Spread a light film of Lycopodium powder over the surface of the water.  Place a drop of liquid soap on a toothpick and touch to the center.  The Lycopodium powder will seem to draw away from the toothpick to the edges of the dish.

References:

  • Renate J. Ondris-Crawford and Lisa R. Hilliard, "It's All on the Surface", TPT, Vol. 35, #1, Feb. 1997, p. 100.
  • Tingjun Ma, "Demonstrating Surface Tension of a Liquid", TPT, Vol. 32, #7, Oct. 1994, p. 410.
  • Martin Gardner, "The Gorilla Effect", TPT, Vol. 31, #3, Mar. 1993, p. 167.
  • James P. Louviere, "Pseudo-Decision Making by Styrofoam Crumbs", TPT, Vol. 23, #6, Sept. 1985, p. 362.
  • "F-330. Sieve Bucket - Float Needle", DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook, 1993.
  • Jearl Walker, "2.153, Olive-Oil Fingers on Talc-Covered Water", The Flying Circus of Physics Ed. 2, p. 146.
  • Charles Vivian, "Sugar Attracts Water, Soap Repels Water", Science Experiments & Amusements For Children, p. 58.
  • Martin Gardner, "The Gorilla Effect", Science Tricks, p. 8.
  • Vicki Cobb and Kathy Darling, "Dry Cleaning", Bet You Can!, p. 69.
  • Borislaw Bilash II and David Maiullo, "Walking on Water", A Demo a Day: A Year of Physics Demonstrations, p. 182.
  • Robert J. Brown, "Wetter Water", 333 Science Tricks & Experiments, p. 71.
  • Robert Ehrlich, "H.18. Pepper on a Water Surface", Turning the World Inside Out and 174 Other Simple Physics Demonstrations, p. 111 - 112.
  • Bobby Mercer, "Scared Pepper", Junk Drawer Chemistry, 2016, p. 34 - 35.
  • W. Bolton, "8. Detergents", Book 1 - Properties of Materials, Physics Experiments and Projects, 1968, p. 67 - 68.
  • W. Bolton, "22. Wetting Agents", Book 1 - Properties of Materials, Physics Experiments and Projects, 1968, p. 22.
  • Tik L. Liem, "The Funny Toothpicks", Invitations to Science Inquiry - Supplement to 1st and 2nd Ed. p. 43.
  • Borislaw Bilash II, “Comparing Surface Tension“, A Demo A Day – A Year of Physical Science Demonstrations, p. 103.
2A10.40 - Surface Tension - Lycopodium Powder