Demonstrations

Surface Tension - Lycopodium Powder

Code Number :	2A10.40
Disclaimer:	Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website. The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources. Further information regarding legal liability in use of demonstrations and labs will be found on the web site Injuries in School/College Laboratories in USA. The University of Iowa Disclaimers: University of Iowa Disclaimer All Rights Reserved..
Condition :	Excellent
Principle :	Surface Tension
Area of Study :	Heat & 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

Martin Gardner, "The Gorilla Effect", TPT, Vol. 31, # 3, Mar. 1993, p. 167.

Renate J. Ondris-Crawford and Lisa R. Hilliard, "It's All on the Surface", TPT, Vol. 35, # 1, Feb. 1997, p. 100.

Tingjun Ma, "Trick of the Trade: Demonstrating Surface Tension of a Liquid," TPT, Vol. 32, # 7, p. 410, (Oct. 1994).

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.

Brown, "Wetter Water," 333 Science Tricks & Experiments, p. 71.

Robert Ehrlich, "Pepper on a Water Surface," Turning the World Inside Out, p. 111-112.

Mail Questions and Comments to: Dale Stille