2A10.25 - Surface Tension - Metal Screens

Pour water through the screen to fill the fruit jar. Place the laminated card over the mouth of the jar and turn the jar upside down.
Carefully slide the card off of the mouth of the jar and observe that the water stays in the jar until you touch the screen with your finger or tip the jar.
Code Number:
2A10.25
Demo Title:
Surface Tension - Metal Screens
Condition:
Good
Principle:
Surface Tension
Area of Study:
Heat & Fluids

Disclaimer

Equipment:
Fruit jars with metal screens across the mouth, laminated note cards.
Procedure:

Pour water through the screen to fill the fruit jar.  Place the laminated card over the mouth of the jar and turn the jar upside down.  Carefully slide the card off of the mouth of the jar and observe that the water stays in the jar until you touch the screen with your finger or tip the jar.  

Wedding veil material or fine plastic mesh may also be used in place of the screen.  

References:
  • Fred Behroozi, "How Spice Dispensers Reveal the Physics Behind Hummingbird Feeders", TPT, Vol. 60, #9, Dec. 2022, p. 771.
  • Thomas B. Greenslade Jr., "A Christmas Book from 1875", TPT, Vol. 47, # 9, December 2009, p. 579.
  • William Kopp, Arthur Schmidt, Ed McNeil, "Doing physics - A Boat Full of Holes", TPT, Vol. 23, # 6, Sept. 1985, p. 374.
  • F-315: "Bottle with Hole and Screen", DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.
  • Robert Ehrlich, "How to Design Simple Physics Demos", Why Toast Lands Jelly-Side Down", p. 12.
  • Vicki Cobb and Kathy Darling, "Nothing to Sneeze At", Bet You Can!, p. 72.
  • Vicki Cobb and Kathy Darling, "I Can't Believe I Did the 'Whole' Thing!", Bet You Can!, p. 70.
  • Borislaw Bilash II, David Maiullo, "Walking on Water", A Demo a Day: A Year of Physics Demonstrations, p. 182.
  • Janice VanCleave, "91, No Spills", Teaching the Fun of Physics, p. 151.
  • H.7, "Card Under a Water-Filled Bottle", from "Turning the World Inside Out" by  Robert Ehrlich, p. 102.
  • Tik L. Liem, "The Weightless Water", Invitations to Science Inquiry - Supplement to 1st and 2nd Ed. p. 24.
  • Borislaw Bilash II, “It's Full of Holes - But It Doesn't Leak!“, A Demo A Day – A Year of Physical Science Demonstrations, p. 97.

Disclaimer: These demonstrations are provided only for illustrative use by persons affiliated with The University of Iowa and only under the direction of a trained instructor or physicist.  The University of Iowa is not responsible for demonstrations performed by those using their own equipment or who choose to use this reference material for their own purpose.  The demonstrations included here are within the public domain and can be found in materials contained in libraries, bookstores, and through electronic sources.  Performing all or any portion of any of these demonstrations, with or without revisions not depicted here entails inherent risks.  These risks include, without limitation, bodily injury (and possibly death), including risks to health that may be temporary or permanent and that may exacerbate a pre-existing medical condition; and property loss or damage.  Anyone performing any part of these demonstrations, even with revisions, knowingly and voluntarily assumes all risks associated with them.