What you need:
· A plastic tub
· Water/ milk
· Dish soap
· Bread ties
· Toothpicks
Method:
1. Fill your tub three-quarters full with water/ milk.
2. Gently place a bread tie on top of the surface so that it’s floating.
3. Dip the top of a toothpick into the dish soap so that there’s a small amount on the end and dip the soap-end into the hole in the bread tie.
4. Watch your soap boat zoom across the surface!
Note: If you use water, after you placed the dish soap in the hole you’ll need to washout and refill the container before the effect works again. But if you use milk you don’t need to washout or refill and can continue with your soap boats!
Why and how does it work?
Water molecules are strongly attracted to each other and stick close together and this creates a strong but flexible "skin" on the water's surface called surface tension. The surface tension allows the bread clip to float on top of the water. Adding soap disrupts the arrangement of the water molecules. So water molecules near the detergent are attracted to the soap as well as to other water molecules, so the surface tension of the water behind the clip decreases. Water molecules move from areas of low surface tension to areas of high surface tension. The bread tie is pulled towards areas of high surface tension by the water in front of the clip.
· A plastic tub
· Water/ milk
· Dish soap
· Bread ties
· Toothpicks
Method:
1. Fill your tub three-quarters full with water/ milk.
2. Gently place a bread tie on top of the surface so that it’s floating.
3. Dip the top of a toothpick into the dish soap so that there’s a small amount on the end and dip the soap-end into the hole in the bread tie.
4. Watch your soap boat zoom across the surface!
Note: If you use water, after you placed the dish soap in the hole you’ll need to washout and refill the container before the effect works again. But if you use milk you don’t need to washout or refill and can continue with your soap boats!
Why and how does it work?
Water molecules are strongly attracted to each other and stick close together and this creates a strong but flexible "skin" on the water's surface called surface tension. The surface tension allows the bread clip to float on top of the water. Adding soap disrupts the arrangement of the water molecules. So water molecules near the detergent are attracted to the soap as well as to other water molecules, so the surface tension of the water behind the clip decreases. Water molecules move from areas of low surface tension to areas of high surface tension. The bread tie is pulled towards areas of high surface tension by the water in front of the clip.