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Paper Towel Experiment

Which is the most absorbent.

The Paper Towel Experiment is a project about which type of paper can absorb more water.

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In every store, big or small, there are numerous brands of paper towels available, each claiming to be the best, the most absorbent or the cheapest. How do we prove or disprove these claims? How do we work out which paper towels are truly great and which are almost entirely useless?

We have all seen advertisements where two brands of paper towels are compared by observing how quickly or thoroughly they suck up a mysterious blue liquid or by wiping up some muddy footprints from their kitchen floor.

This, as we know, is not very scientific - there are no figures, no proof and little truth.

Here we are going to show you how to conduct an experiment to test one of these claims: the absorbency of paper towels.

Some Facts About Kitchen Towel

• Paper towels were invented by Arthur Scott in Philadelphia, USA, in around 1900. From humble beginnings, paper kitchen towels have become a billion dollar industry.
• Paper towels are often made from post consumer recycled paper fiber, requiring fewer trees being cut down and using up to 50% less energy.

Performing the Paper Towel Experiment

“More expensive brands of paper towel are more absorbent.”

What You Will Need for the Paper Towel Experiment

• At least four brands of absorbent paper towel
• A stopwatch
• A graduated cylinder
• Fill the beaker up with exactly 200 ml of water
• Take a sheet of the first brand of towel.
• Fold and insert into the water. As you dip the towel into the water, start your stopwatch.
• After 20 seconds, remove the towel from the beaker and squeeze as much water as you can out of the towel in to the graduated cylinder using the funnel. Make a note of the volume extracted
• Repeat 5 times for each brand and note the results in your data table. You must make sure that each sheet is folded in exactly the same way for the experiment to be constant and correct.
• Write down the results for each brand in your notebook.

Work out an average for each result and write down in a table.

Plot all of your results onto a simple bar graph like the one below; you can do this on a computer or you can use graph paper and pencils.

This will allow you to show which brand of paper towel is the most absorbent and which is truly awful.

Problems and Further Experimentation

Of course, this is a very simple experiment and it does have some limitations; you are testing only one reason why people choose a certain brand.

Some brands might be excellent at soaking up spills but are very expensive. Maybe some brands are not as good at soaking up water but are better at soaking up other liquids like milk or cooking oil.

When a consumer buys paper towels, they are not just looking for absorbency. Price, softness, availability, number of sheets on a roll, and strength are all important factors when buying a roll of kitchen towel.

Perhaps you could design an experiment to rate the strength and softness, or try and calculate how much each towel costs per sheet.

Paper towel manufacturers spend millions of dollars every year but, with a few simple experiments, you can find out which brands truly are the best.

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Martyn Shuttleworth (Sep 21, 2008). Paper Towel Experiment. Retrieved Apr 03, 2024 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/paper-towel-experiment

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How to Do a Science Fair Project on Paper Towels

Science Projects on Which Paper Towel Is the Strongest

Science fair projects require a hypothesis, some amount of experimentation, and a final report and presentation that explain your findings. It is important to start planning your project early, as you will need time to complete each step of the project, and you cannot usually do this the night before the due date. If you want to do a science fair project about paper towels, one that centers on testing their strength when wet is a relatively easy way to go.

Create a chart for measuring the results of your experiment. This chart should have a row for each paper towel brand, with a column for brand name, number of coins, and rank.

Pull a sheet off each paper towel roll. Cut all of the sheets down to the same size.

Hold the first paper towel over the bowl of water. Have a couple of friends or family members hold each corner of the paper towel. The bowl catches any excess water and prevents a mess.

Add five teaspoons of water to the paper towel, and then start placing coins on top of it, one at a time. Place all of the water in the center of the towel.

Add quarters to the paper towel until it breaks. Record the number of coins on your data sheet. Once you have done this with all of the paper towels, you can rank them from strongest to weakest. Add quarters one at a time.

Write a report that uses the question, “Which brand of paper towels is the strongest when wet?” Describe the goals of your project, what occurred during your experiment, and the conclusions you drew. Your hypothesis can be an educated guess based on personal experience or advertising. For instance, if one brand of paper towel advertises itself as the strongest, your hypothesis could read, "Brand X is the strongest wet paper towel."

Create a backboard that has some examples of the paper towels, pictures from the experiment, and the most important parts of the report, like hypothesis, conclusion, and important data, such as the number of quarters each brand handled. (Your chart will work well here.) Use this backboard as a visual aid when describing your project.

Things You'll Need

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Penny Paper Towel Experiment: The Easiest Way to Teach the Scientific Method to Kids!

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I love STEM activities for elementary school, but when the school year is just starting, I really prefer to do as many no prep STEM challenges as possible because the first few weeks of school are so hectic! At the start of the year, I like to give every student, no matter what grade, a refresher on the scientific method. The penny paper towel experiment is one of my favorite ways to teach the scientific method because the variables produce such dramatically different results.

And if you add a few extra variations, your students could even turn this into a paper towel science project.

The scientific method is one of the most important lessons any child can learn in elementary school. The scientific method teaches children the steps to completing an effective science experiment.

The penny paper towel experiment is one of the easiest methods for how to teach the scientific method to kids, because to complete the paper towel strength test, children must make a hypothesis, test variables, and record results.

What Kids Learn Doing the Penny Paper Towel Experiment

The scientific method is an important thing for elementary kids to learn so they can set up experiments and STEM activities logically.

The scientific method includes the following:

• A hypothesis
• A test with variables
• Recording data
• And sometimes repeating the experiment with other variables

The penny paper towel experiment is a simple experiment that kids of all ages can do as they test whether a wet or dry paper towel can hold more pennies. Children can declare a hypothesis on which towel will be strongest, and then once completing the experiment, the students can record the data they discovered while doing the experiment.

Why are Dry Paper Towels Stronger than Wet Paper Towels?

Paper towels are made from trees like any other paper. Paper is made of cellulose fibers. The fibers are held together with hydrogen bonds.

However, when a paper towel gets wet, the hydrogen bonds in the cellulose fibers also bond with the hydrogen in the water, which makes the cellulose bonds weaker.

What You Need for the Penny Paper Towel Experiment

The nice thing about this paper towel strength experiment is that it takes almost no supplies and children can learn an important lesson about the scientific method and why testing variables are important in every science project or STEM experiment.

To complete this penny experiment you will need the following items:

• Paper towel s (4-5 sheets per student group)
• Rubber bands (1 for each student group)
• Eye droppers or pipettes (1 per student group)
• Glass jars (1 per student group)
• STEM notebook
• Pennies (you can exchange cash for pennies at a bank if you don’t have enough for your entire class. Each student group will need about 200 pennies)

If you want to make science fair season a whole lot easier, check out the FREE science fair display board designer below.

Penny Paper Towel Experiment Lesson Plan

Setting up the experiment is easy. Discuss the properties of paper towels and what keeps the paper towels strong.

Next ask the kids to hypothesize how many pennies the dry and wet paper towels will be able to hold.

Give the students about 15 minutes to experiment with how many pennies it takes to break through the wet and dry paper towels and record the data in their STEM notebooks.

Finally, explain how variables like this are how scientists determine what is and isn’t true about the world.

More Super Simple Science Experiments

If you want to know what other science experiments you can do with materials you have in the classroom or lying around the house, then check out these other super simple science projects!

• Chemical Reactions! How to Turn a Penny Green Experiment
• No Prep STEM Challenges Perfect for the Classroom!
• Easy Science Bundle
• Cleaning Pennies Science Experiment

Get the step-by-step directions on how to do the penny paper towel experiment in the printable guide below!

Paper Towel Strength Test Science Experiment

With just paper towels and pennies, students can conduct a simple penny paper towel experiment to determine whether wet or dry paper towels can hold more weight. Students will learn how adding a variable to an experiment can drastically change the outcome even when no other changes are made.

• Paper towels
• Glass cup or jar (1 per student group)
• Rubber bands
• Eye dropper
• STEM Notebook

Instructions

• Before starting the project, have the students predict whether the dry or wet paper towels will hold more pennies.
• Take the dry paper towel and secure it over the bowl using the rubber band. Make sure that it is secure and tight.

• Count how many pennies the dry paper towel could hold before breaking.
• Have the students record the results of their experiment in their STEM notebooks.
• Take the wet paper towel and carefully secure it over the bowl using the rubber band. It will rip much easier so exercise care. Make sure that it is secure and tight.

• Count how many pennies the wet paper towel could hold before breaking.

• Have the students record their observations in their STEM journals.
• What observations can you make about this experiment?
• What variables would you change?

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Paper Towel Absorbency Experiment

This post is part of the DIY Summer Camp Activities series. Find more fun things for kids of all ages there .

I coach a homeschool Science Olympiad team and one of the events is Experimental Design. For the event, students use various provided materials to design and conduct an experiment on a specific topic.

For one of our practice sessions last year, I gave them different brands of paper towel and asked them to conduct an experiment on absorbency.

The result – for me – was that I changed my brand of paper towel!! Yes, the results were that dramatic.

So the DIY summer camp activity will not only be educational and fun for your children but should also be beneficial for you!

Here is a step by step walkthrough of the experiment. You can use more water and more paper towels if you are using a bigger glass. Just adapt to make it work with the equipment you are using.

Get your children to come up with a hypothesis as to what they expect to happen and why eg. We believe brand A will be the most absorbent, brand B then next absorbent and brand C the least absorbent because …..

Materials needed

• 3 (or more) different brands of paper towels (Note how much they cost)
• graduated cylinder (if you don’t have one use a skinny glass and measure the water you pour in and what is left using a measuring jug)
• aluminum pie dish or a tray to prevent a mess 🙂

1. Gather needed materials

2. Lay all paper towels on top of each other and use scissors to trim so they are all the same size (this way you’re testing how the absorbency of the towels differs and size isn’t a variable). You will need 3 pieces of each brand.

3. Take 1 paper towel from brand A and roll lengthwise so its diameter can fit in the graduated cylinder

4. Fill the graduated cylinder with lukewarm tap water to a volume of 30ml. (Note: we use metric measurements as that is standard in the scientific community).

5. Put a rolled paper towel in the cylinder so 3cm of the towel is submerged in the water

6. Hold the towel in water for 10 seconds, then lift it up out of the cylinder and allow to drip into the cylinder for 5 seconds. (The purpose for doing this was to make sure the test showed what the paper towels were absorbing AND keeping in. After all, you don’t want towels that drip out everything you’ve just cleaned up!)

7. Either dispose of paper towel in a waste bin OR place in pie pan and throw them all away at once when you finish

8. Record the volume of water remaining in the cylinder and subtract from the original 30ml to see how much water the towel absorbed

9. Repeat steps 3-8 two more times with the same brand of paper towel.

10. Now take the next brand of paper towel and do steps 3 – 9.

Record your data as you do the experiment. Once you are finished, calculate the average amount of water left for the 3 trials of each brand of paper towel.

Draw a bar graph of the average of the tests for each brand of paper towel. It will look something like this:

The independent variable in this experiment is the brand of paper towel i.e. it is the one the tester is changing. The independent variable is always on the X-axis.

The average amount of water (over the 3 trials) left in the cylinder is the dependent variable and the bar should be drawn to this height.

Now that you have the data, and the graph, students can reach a conclusion. They need to decide if their hypothesis was supported by the data or not (NOTE: scientists never say their hypothesis was ‘true’ or ‘false’ but only whether the result of their experiment supported the hypothesis or not)

The Science Behind It

Paper towel is made of plant fibers. Capillary action in the fibers draws the water into the paper towels. If you have a microscope, put a piece of paper towel under it for your children to look at. The fibers are made up of tiny linked sugar molecules called cellulose. Cellulose attracts water. If you look at paper towel under a microscope you will also see that there are spaces between the fibers – and those will hold water too.

To take this one step further, take a look at how much each roll of paper towel cost and try to calculate the cost of one “test strip” for each. Relate the cost to how absorbent the brand was and that should help you select what to buy in the future.

And your children can see a practical use for science!

Don’t forget to take a look at other DIY Summer Camp ideas to do with your children.

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It’s the moment every parent dreads – you’re going about your day when your child mentions that he or she has to do a science project. If you’re one of the lucky ones, your kid will let it slip a few days after it was assigned. But if you’re like most parents, you’ll find out about it the night before it’s due. Either way, we’ve got you covered with a few science fair project ideas to make sure your child scores a top grade (or at least stays out of summer school). Best of all, these science experiments for kids can be completed with common household items you most likely already have on hand.

Testing the Strength of Paper Towels

If you find yourself short on time, testing which paper towel brand is the strongest, makes for a simple yet fun paper towel science project.

Time Needed: 2 Hours

Materials Needed:

1 roll of Bounty paper towels 3 rolls of paper towels made by 3 separate brands. 1 large plastic tub 2 cups of water Notebook or journal Graph paper 125 quarters A partner

• Detach one towel from each roll of paper towels and label each one with the corresponding brand’s name.

• Have the partner hold one of the detached sheets over the plastic tub.

• Pour exactly ½ a cup of water onto the paper towel.

• Place the quarters (one at a time) onto the paper towel until it breaks.

• Record the results of which paper towel is the strongest.

• Repeat steps 1 through 5 for each brand of paper towels.
• Create a graph to illustrate the results.

Paper Towel Absorbency Experiment

If you liked the previous idea, but don’t have over thirty dollars in quarters laying around the house, your child can always test what brand of paper towel is most absorbent.

1 roll of Bounty paper towels 3 rolls of paper towels made by 3 separate brands. 1 cup of water An even wooden or plastic table Notebook or journal Graph paper

Under your supervision, have your child complete the following steps:

• Tear off one towel from each roll of paper towels and label each one with the corresponding brand’s name.

• Pour the water onto the table in four different sections. Each section should contain exactly ¼ of a cup of water. (Make sure to give yourself some room, sothe pools of water don’t overlap.)

• Place one paper towel over one pool of water.

• Wait ten seconds.
• Remove the paper towel, and record your findings of the paper towel absorbency in the notebook.
• Repeat steps 3 through 5 for each paper towel brand.
• Create a graph to illustrate the results of which paper towel absorbs the most water.

Seed Germination with Paper Towels

Supposing your child has a few days to complete the project, a seed germination experiment is relatively hassle-free, and usually goes over well with teachers and students alike. It’s a great paper towel science fair project because it only takes a few minutes to prepare. However, it does take a few days for the seeds to grow.

3 plastic cups Bounty paper towels (Bounty is highly absorbent, so results should be seen faster) 3 plastic (or regular) plates 1 gallon of distilled water Potting soil Journal or notebook 6 bean seeds (Bean seeds are pretty big, sprout quickly and are easy to work with) Graph paper

• Place the soil into the plastic cups.

• Plant a bean about ¼ inch deep in each cup containing the soil.

• Take three sheets of Bounty paper towels and fold each in half.

• Place each of the remaining seeds inside its own folded paper towel, then place each of the paper towels on its own plate.

• Water the paper towels and soil cups until wet (not soaking) and place all the seeds in a warm, dark room.

• Monitor the seeds daily and water the soil cups or wet the paper towels again when they start to dry out.

• Note which seeds germinated when, and chart your results on graph paper. Explain which process worked better, and which seeds produced the longest, thickest sprouts.

Paper Towels Color Bridge

Paper Towel Color BridgeHere’s an idea with lots of color and wow factor. Best of all, it’s fairly simple, quick and inexpensive.

3 clear plastic cups 2 cups of water Yellow food coloring Blue food coloring Spoon 1 roll of Bounty paper towels (Using Bounty will cut down on the time it takes to see results. The channels in the towels will dispense water faster than other brands.) Under your supervision, have your child complete the following steps:

• Fill two of the cups with 1 cup of water each.

• Add yellow food coloring to one and the blue to the other.

• Stir (remember to clean the spoon so you won't mix the colors).

• Arrange the cups so that the empty cup is in the middle.

• Tear off paper towels and roll them into tight tubes.

• Stick one end of each into one of the colored waters, and the other end into the empty middle cup.

• Observe the colored water as it travels up the paper towel.
• Document your findings.

• How to design a good experiment.
• How to measure the results of your experiments quantitatively and qualitatively.
• How to write a report of each experiment using graphs and tables.  (Word and Excel).
• How to make conclusions from your data.
• How to analyze shortcomings in your procedures and results.

Sample Table for Measuring Absorbency (Data Made Up)  

Here is Vertical Version:

We are using 8 different kinds of paper towels.  Below is the cost and count of different single rolls all purchased at Cub Foods unless indicated otherwise: 

In order to calculate which paper towel has the best cost, keep in mind that each roll may have different size sheets (dimensions and thickness) and a different number of sheets.

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Keep a Paper Towel Dry Under Water Science Experiment

Did you know that it is possible to submerge a paper towel in water without getting it wet? While it doesn’t seem possible, it actually is. And all it takes is a little science fun to make it happen!

Watch our included demonstration video, print detailed instructions, and explore the easy to understand explanation of how it works below.

JUMP TO SECTION: Instructions | Video Tutorial | How it Works | Lab Kit

Supplies Needed

• Large Container
• Enough water to fill the container high enough that you can completely submerge the glass in it
• Paper Towel

Keep a Paper Towel Dry Science Lab Kit – Only $5

Use our easy Keep a Paper Towel Dry Science Lab Kit to grab your students’ attention without the stress of planning!

It’s everything you need to  make science easy for teachers and fun for students  — using inexpensive materials you probably already have in your storage closet!

Dry Paper Towel Science Experiment Instructions

Experiment Setup – Start with some observations about the paper towel. What are paper towels used for? Demonstrate how a paper towel gets wet when it is use to wipe up water. Then ask some questions. Do you think that we can put the paper towel is water without it getting wet? If so, how? Write down your hypothesis (prediction) and then follow the steps below.

Step 1 – Begin by filling a large container full of water. There must be enough water in the container for you to completely submerge the glass.

Step 2 – Next tear off a section of paper towel and put it into the bottom of the cup. Make sure that the paper towel is big enough to fill the inside of the cup and that it is completely pushed down inside the cup. No part of the paper towel should be above the rim of the cup. 

Step 3 – Turn the cup upside down. When you do this, the paper towel should stay at the bottom of the cup. If it slips down, push it back up inside the cup. 

Step 4 – Carefully lower the cup straight down into the water. Ensure that the cup does not tip to the side. Lower the cup until it is completely submerged.

Step 5 – Pull the cup straight out of the water. It is important that the cup does not tip to the side when removing it from the water. Remove the paper towel from the cup and make some observations. What is happened to the paper towel? Is it dry? Is this different than what you expected?

Wondering how the paper towel is still dry even though you just submerged it in water? Find out the answer in the how does this experiment work section below.

Video Tutorial

How Does the Dry Paper Towel Science Experiment Work

Even though you can’t see it, air is made up of matter. Because air is made of matter it has mass and volume. Because air has volume it takes up space. This experiment shows the air’s volume!

When the glass is lowered in the water, air is trapped inside of the glass because of the water pushing up from below. Air is less dense than water so it is able to stay on top of the water. The paper towel will not get wet as long as the air stays in the glass. If you tip the glass (even slightly), the air trapped in the glass will rush out in the form of bubbles. Water will then rush in and the paper towel will get wet.

Even More Science Fun

Try the experiment again, but this time slightly tilt the glass to the side as you lower it into the water. What happens? Do you see a bubble rise to the top of the water? What do you think happened? And is the paper towel still dry or did it get wet?

I hope you enjoyed the experiment. Here are some printable instructions:

Instructions

• Begin by filling a large container full of water. There must be enough water in the container for you to completely submerge the glass.
• Next tear off a section of paper towel and stuff it into the bottom of the glass.
• Carefully turn the glass upside down. Helpful tip: Make sure the paper towel stays at the bottom of the glass. If it slips down, push it back in.
• Slowly lower the glass into straight down into the water. Ensure that the glass does not tip to the side. Lower the glass until it is completely submerged.
• Pull the glass straight out of the water. Ensure that the glass does not tip to the side. Then carefully remove the paper towel from the glass.
• Once you remove the paper towel you will find that it is still dry even though you just submerged it in water

Reader Interactions

May 31, 2017 at 12:12 am

Cool activity! I plan to do this with my 9th & 10 year old Summer Campers. I am really looking for lots of great ideas. Thanks for sharing &

January 20, 2019 at 1:16 am

I have choosed this project in my science fair experiment and i have done it….its pretty cool experiment.

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Paper Towel Strength

Problem- I am trying to figure out what paper towel is the strongest. I am tested this by getting wetting different brands of paper towel and placing as many pennies as I could on the paper towel before it ripped.

Hypothesis - In my project, I believe Bounty will be the strongest paper towel brand . I believe Bounty will win because I have used it a lot and I know it doesn’t tear easily. I also know that Bounty is good at absorbing an abundance of water.

1. Get a measuring bowl and put the same amount of water in it to wet the paper towel.

2. Place as many pennies on the wet paper towel until it starts tears

3. repeat 5 times for each different paper towel

4. When the paper towel rips count the pennies that were on the paper towel.

Conclusion- After experimenting the strongest paper towel was Bounty. The first time I experimented on bounty I got 230 pennies. The second time I experimented I got 215 pennies. The third time Bounty held 225 pennies.

Abstract- I am testing which paper towel brand is the best out of Bounty, Viva, Signature Home, and Sparkle. I believe Bounty will be the strongest because I have used it before and it didn’t rip or tear. I choose this topic because it’s important to have paper towels that don’t rip while you are cleaning the kitchen for just washing your hands.

While experimenting I first got a paper towel and soaked it in water. I used a measuring cup to make sure I have the same amount of water in each paper towel. Then, I placed as many pennies on the wet paper towel and lifted it when I added every time I added few more pennies. Once the paper towel ripped I counted how many pennies were on the paper towel when it broke.

For Bounty my average was 220 pennies. For Signature Home my average was 180 pennies. For Viva my average was 185 pennies. For Sparkle my average was 170 pennies. The average amount of pennies a paper towel can hold is about 200 pennies.

In the project I learned bounty is the best paper towel brand. My hypothesis was correct because I said bounty and it held the pennies and stayed strong the longest. I think my experiment was accurate because I didn’t use anything that could make something go wrong in my experiment. I think if I had something to hold up the paper towel while I was putting pennies down it would have made it a lot easier.

Graphs and data table:

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Which Paper Towel Is The Most Absorbent Science Project

Table of Contents:

Paper Towel Experiment . The Paper Towel Experiment is a project about which type of paper can absorb more water.

• What You Will Need for the Paper Towel Experiment

Problems and Further Experimentation

In every store, big or small, there are numerous brands of paper towels available, each claiming to be the best, the most absorbent or the cheapest. How do we prove or disprove these claims? How do we work out which paper towels are truly great and which are almost entirely useless? We have all seen advertisements where two brands of paper towels are compared by observing how quickly or thoroughly they suck up a mysterious blue liquid or by wiping up some muddy footprints from their kitchen floor. This, as we know, is not very scientific – there are no figures, no proof and little truth. Here we are going to show you how to conduct an experiment to test one of these claims: the absorbency of paper towels. Some Facts About Kitchen TowelPaper towels were invented by Arthur Scott in Philadelphia, USA, in around 1900. From humble beginnings, paper kitchen towels have become a billion dollar industry. Paper towels are often made from post consumer recycled paper fiber, requiring fewer trees being cut down and using up to 50% less energy.

Video advice: Science Project: Absorption Strength of Paper Towel Brands

To practice the steps of the scientific method, my 2nd grade son had to devise a science project. He chose to test the absorption properties of four major brands of paper towels. Here are the results. This video is one portion of a longer unit study post about the scientific method. You can find the rest at http://www.theunlikelyhomeschool.com/2013/11/learning-scientific-method-with-video.html

Which Brand of Paper Towel Is The Most Absorbent?

Brands of Paper Towels Bounty Brawny Viva by Kleenex Colortex.

Variables Within This ExperimentControl Variable: The liquid being absorbed (water) and the quantity of water initially within the calculating cup would be the control variables within this experiment. Independent Variable: The independent variable may be the brands of sponges getting used. Dependent Variable: The dependent variable within this experiment is the quantity of liquid each paper towel absorbed.

Presentation on theme: “Which Brand of Paper Towel Is The Most Absorbent?”— Presentation transcript:

My Hypothesis Based on my research, I think that the Bounty paper towels will be the most absorbent. I learned that the absorbency of paper towels is based upon the plies (some are 1-ply, others are 2-ply and typically, the higher the ply, the higher the absorbency rate), creping, and embossing. Creping is when the fiber-to-fiber bonds in the paper towel are split up. Embossing is when the surface of the paper towel is changed from a flat to shaped surface. That is why there are patterns/designs within the paper towel; the raised areas allow there to be more room for the water to flow through the towel and be absorbed. Companies do these processes differently, and that is why the brands have different absorbencies. The Bounty paper towels are 2-ply, and have a high rate of creping and embossing.

Science Projects on Which Paper Towel Is the Strongest

Wet Strength – If you want to know the strength of various brands of paper towels, you do not need a commercial to show you their take. Instead, do your own experiments at home and make your own educated decision. Purchase three to four different brands and then get home and start your various tests to find the strongest paper towel. Dry Strength ••• Alfredo Tisi/Demand Media Tear off a sheet of each paper towel and be sure they are all whole pieces with no tears. Set out objects of varying weights, like an apple, a brick and a five-pound sack of sugar. Then, have one person hold the paper towel flat, in the air, with two hands on either side, while the other sets the object in the middle. Predetermine a length of time the object must stay on the paper towel before it counts as “strong enough to hold a. . . ” Write down your observations for each brand, depending on how they preformed. Wet Strength ••• Alfredo Tisi/Demand Media Take a new sheet of paper towel off each roll and soak them with water. Repeat the weight test with your objects to see if water makes any of them weaker or stronger.

Which paper towel is the most absorbent science project?

distilled white vinegar and 1 qt. water cuts through grease, grime and dirt, leaving glass, stainless steel and plastic looking fresh and clean. Just mix the ingredients together, transfer the solution to a spray bottle, apply to the soiled surface, then wipe the dirt away with a paper towel.

Which paper towel is easily the most absorbent science project? Why is a paper towel strong? Why is Bounty sponges more powerful? Which paper towel brand works the very best? What’s the best paper towel to clean home windows? What’s the secret to streak-free home windows? Exactly what do professional window cleaners use to wash home windows? What’s the easiest method to clean home windows without streaking? Is newspaper great for cleaning home windows? Why won’t my home windows come clean? What is the best for cleaning home windows? How can you clean dirty home windows? How do you clean my Home windows computer? So why do my home windows look smeared after cleaning? How can you clean one perfectly? How come newspaper clean glass very well? Does vinegar leave streaks on glass? Is newspaper great for cleaning mirrors? How can you wipe one without streaks? What’s the best cloth to wash mirrors? So what can I personally use to wash my mirror without Windex? What’s the best homemade glass cleaner? So what can I clean glass with? What may be used rather of Windex? How can you make glass cleaner without alcohol?

What is the most absorbent liquid?

Sodium polyacrylate can absorb about 300-800 times its weight. This is the most difference between this kind of polyacrylate and other traditional absorption materials. | High absorbent rate. It only takes several seconds to absorb all the water.

This really is expected, because the small space between paper towel layers helps hold more water. Paper consists of cellulose, which water molecules prefer to hang on to. Consequently, paper readily absorbs water. Sponges are specifically absorbent as their cellulose fibers have empty spaces—tiny air bubbles—between them.

What is the most absorbent liquid? Which paper absorbs the most water? Which material absorbs most water science project? Why does thicker paper towel absorb more water? What absorbs water quickly? What absorbs Watervapour? What absorbs water faster? Which absorbs water faster? What paper towel brand is most absorbent? Is Bounty really the quicker picker upper? What is the best material to absorb water? What makes sponges the most absorbent of water? What kind of plants will absorb water in a wet yard? How can you tell which paper towel absorbs more water? How is wool able to absorb water without feeling wet?

Video advice: Which Paper Towel is the most Absorbent?

Science Project

Which paper towel is most absorbent experiment?

The results of the experiment were that the Sparkle brand paper towels were the most absorbent. It absorbed on average, 50ml of water, when the Bounty brand paper towels absorbed only 44.75ml of water.

Fundamental essentials best sponges we tested rated, so as: Bounty Select-A-Size 2-Ply. Brawny Pick-A-Size 2-Ply. Kirkland Signature Create-A-Size 2-Ply from Costco. Viva Strong & Soft Like Cloth 1-Ply. Up & Up Make-A-Size 2-Ply from Target. Bounty Essentials 2-Ply. 365 Everyday Value 100% Recycled 2-Ply from Whole-foods.

The results of the experiment were that the Sparkle brand paper towels were the most absorbent. It absorbed on average, 50ml of water, when the Bounty brand paper towels absorbed only 44. 75ml of water. Bounty Likewise, are more expensive paper towels more absorbent? “More expensive brands of paper towel are more absorbent. ” Correspondingly, are Bounty paper towels more absorbent than generic paper towels? Essentially the tight stitching or quilting Bounty towel uses on all of their kitchen paper towels add more surface area to the towel. The result is more paper, and a more absorbent paper towel. That is why Bounty is so absorbent. What material absorbs most water? Mention about the water absorbing material, you may think of many absorbing materials such as cotton, napkins, sponge, anhydrous calcium chloride, soda lime, allochroic silica gel or activated carbon. But these materials can absorb only several or dozens of times its weight.

We tried paper towels from 4 brands and the winner was the strongest and most absorbent – We tried paper towels from Brawny, Bounty, Sparkle, and Marcal to see which had the best paper towels that were both absorbent and strong.

Similar to the Brawny paper towel, the Bounty paper towel was mainly soaked in the middle, though the water didn’t spread as much as it did on the Brawny paper towel. Overall, based on how little the water spread, the Bounty towel seemed to absorb the water the best. Next, we tested each towel’s strength by wetting them and topping them with metal weights.

Folded or Flat Paper Towel: Which One Absorbs Most?

A soggy project from Science Buddies.

Five or even more identical sponges, preferably the kind obtainable in public restrooms. In situation you love to test various kinds of sponges, a minimum of five identical towels of every type. (Do not concern yourself about wasting a couple of towels now, this activity may help save paper over time. )

Extra: If you have more paper towels of the same type, repeat the tests, performing each step in exactly the same way and notice the variations in the outcomes. Does the measured difference in mass vary a lot or just a bit? Is it always the folded or always the unfolded paper towel that weighs more? How about your feeling: do your hands always feel drier when using the folded or the unfolded paper towel? Scientists repeat tests to verify the outcome. Scientists also like to have their studies repeated by a different researcher utilizing a different instrument (like a different scale). If the independent test reveals the same results, the test is called reproducible. Reproducible tests have more scientific value. Can you find a friend to help you make your tests reproducible?

5 Science Experiments with Paper Towels

Try these 5 experiments with paper towels!

2) Parachutes – We’ve made parachutes before evaluating cloth, plastic, tissue paper, and occasional filters. We used exactly the same way of creating a parachute from a Viva® Vantage Paper Towel. Rather of utilizing a square, Aiden desired to used one bit of the Choose-A-Sheet towels. Also, he made a decision to decorate his parachute with glittery shapes.

Viva® Vantage Paper Towels

I don’t usually buy paper towels. We try to use cloth as much as possible in our house. However, there are some jobs that just require a paper towel. Cleaning the grill and cleaning our cast iron skillets are two of these examples. I hate how my cleaning cloths are greasy and black after cleaning the grill. Using cloth to wipe oil on a cast iron skillet leaves little pieces of cloth behind. I also don’t like cleaning the oil off of the cloth. Paper towels are so much easier for these jobs. Viva® Vantage Paper Towels are made with a revolutionary V-Flex Weave, which provides stretch that helps deliver great scrubbing power.

Paper Towel Absorbency Experiment – An absorbency experiment to do with your children at home that will help you determine which brand of paper towel you should buy.

6. Hold the towel in water for 10 seconds, then lift it up out of the cylinder and allow to drip into the cylinder for 5 seconds. (The purpose for doing this was to make sure the test showed what the paper towels were absorbing AND keeping in. After all, you don’t want towels that drip out everything you’ve just cleaned up!)

• Materials needed
• The Science Behind It

The Best Paper Towels, According to Cleaning Experts

Our #1 pick might surprise you.

Some paper towels leave behind just a little trail of lint in the path. To prevent developing a new mess after cleaning one up, make use of a non-linting paper towel for example Kirkland Signature sponges. Within our diagnostic tests, these left out no lint whilst absorbing liquid very rapidly. We found these sponges to become fairly thick too.

What makes a good paper towel?

Whether cleaning up messes or faces, you want a paper towel that is strong, absorbent, and soft to the touch. The Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles, Paper & Plastics Lab put paper towel brands to the test to find the overall best buys. We tested absorption by evaluating how much liquid each sheet absorbs and how quickly. We then measured the strength of each paper towel when wet, because no one wants a paper towel that crumbles under pressure. Lastly, since a huge consumer complaint is that some brands leave behind bits of paper, we evaluated shedding. Then, we sent paper towels home with consumer testers who rated how soft each paper towel was, and whether they liked using them. On top of in lab tests, we also sifted through hundreds of reputable reviews of popular paper towel brands to find the best new styles on the market. What makes a good paper towel? Paper towels are made up of ground-up plant material called cellulose, which can include wood, cotton, and other plants. The molecules of cellulose are actually sugar – but not like the sugar we eat – which attracts water molecules.

Which paper towel is the most absorbent? Our 6th-graders found out!

The sixth-graders are learning about the methodology of science, which is how we draw conclusions from observations. To solidify this concept, Mr. Landis held a controlled experiment for students to find out, “What is the most absorbent paper towel brand?” between Viva, Bounty, Great Value, and Sparkle.

Controlled experiments have three variables: the independent variable (also referred to as the manipulated variable), the dependent variable (also referred to as the responding variable), and controlled variables. How big sponges, temperature of water, and materials counseled me controlled as well as possible. Each towel was submerged in water for five seconds, organized for just a few seconds, after which squeezed for ten seconds right into a graduated cylinder via a funnel. Students then measured the quantity of water obtained from each paper towel sample. The experiment was repeated several occasions after which students could evaluate their data. As as it happens, Viva is easily the most absorbent paper towel. Now, does cost influence your decision? Tell us therefore we will easily notice our sixth-graders!

Video advice: Which Paper Towel Brand Absorbs The Most Water

Hi everyone and welcome to The James Kids Channel. We have lots of fun with our sisters and cousins through games, crafts, and family.

Which paper towel absorbs the most water science experiment?

the Bounty paper towelSimilar to the Brawny paper towel, the Bounty paper towel was mainly soaked in the middle, though the water didn't spread as much as it did on the Brawny paper towel. Overall, based on how little the water spread, the Bounty towel seemed to absorb the water the best.

Which brand of paper towel is the most absorbent hypothesis?

BountyThree different brands of paper towels were tested. These included Bounty, Viva, and Sparkle brand paper towels. It was hypothesized that Viva paper towels would be the most absorbent.

How do you create an experiment to test the absorbency of paper towels?

• Fill the beaker up with exactly 200 ml of water.
• Take a sheet of the first brand of towel.
• Fold and insert into the water. ...
• After 20 seconds, remove the towel from the beaker and squeeze as much water as you can out of the towel in to the graduated cylinder using the funnel.

Which type of paper is the most absorbent?

We found out that paper towels and toilet paper were the most absorbent- the water soaked into the these types of paper really quickly.

Which material absorbs most water science project?

This is expected, as the tiny space between paper towel layers helps hold more water. Paper is made of cellulose, which water molecules like to cling to. As a result, paper readily absorbs water. Paper towels are especially absorbent because their cellulose fibers have empty spaces—tiny air bubbles—between them.

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Top 8 Paper Towel Science Experiments

Welcome to our specially curated collection of exciting, hands-on paper towel science experiments perfect for kids of all ages. This round-up is designed to elevate the humble paper towel from a cleaning tool to the centerpiece of fascinating scientific endeavors.

Paper towels, a household essential often summoned to tackle spills and messes, possess an unsung potential that goes beyond mere cleanup. Their woven fibers and absorbent nature make them an intriguing subject for scientific experiments. What might seem like a simple sheet of paper can, in fact, unveil many scientific principles and discoveries when looked at with an inquisitive eye.

Let’s get started!

1. Travelling Waters

This intriguing activity allows students to delve into the remarkable phenomenon of capillary action. Through this experiment, students will gain a deeper understanding of concepts such as absorption, cohesion, and adhesion.

Learn more: Travelling Waters

2. Wiggly Worm

In this experiment, you’ll create your very own wiggly worm by adding a special concoction to a paper towel strip. As if by magic, the paper towel will come to life, squirming and twisting like a real worm!

3. Grow A Rainbow Paper Towel

This experiment not only ignites your artistic side but also provides a hands-on opportunity to learn about the science behind color mixing and solubility.

Learn more: Grow A Rainbow Paper Towel

4. Keep a Paper Towel Dry Under Water

Prepare to be amazed by the extraordinary “Keep a Paper Towel Dry Under Water” science experiment! In this captivating experiment, you’ll witness the seemingly impossible as you place a paper towel underwater, only to see it remain completely dry.

Learn more: Keep a Paper Towel Dry Under Water

5. Which Paper Towel is the Strongest?

By testing and comparing different brands and types of paper towels, you can uncover which one possesses the greatest strength and durability, offering valuable insights into the practicality and effectiveness of these everyday products.

6. The Wet & Reveal Experiment with Paper Towels

This engaging science experiment offers students a unique opportunity to explore the principles of absorption and chemical reactions in a fun and creative way.

7. Tie Dyed Paper Towel Art 

In this captivating activity, you’ll transform ordinary paper towels into stunning works of art using the magical technique of tie-dye.

Learn more: Tie Dyed Paper Towel Art 

8. Paper Towel vs Water Experiment 

In this intriguing experiment, you’ll investigate the threshold at which a paper towel reaches its maximum absorption capacity.

By gradually adding water to different paper towel samples and measuring the amount of water they can absorb before reaching saturation, you’ll uncover the limits of their absorbency.

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Which Brand of Paper Towels hold the most water????

Moderators: AmyCowen , kgudger , bfinio , MadelineB , Moderators

Post by missjackson04 » Sun Feb 07, 2010 1:46 pm

Re: Which Brand of Paper Towels hold the most water????

Post by staryl13 » Sun Feb 07, 2010 5:16 pm

Post by tanise » Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:23 am

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Walking Water Rainbow Science Experiment

Let’s make a walking water rainbow! There’s no better way for little scientists to learn about capillary action and color mixing than by making water walk (yes – walk!) in this colorful rainbow science experiment. This science experiment is a favorite of ours because it’s so easy to set up and the results are almost immediate.

Check out the simple step-by-step below and then gra b 30 more jaw-dropping (but easy prep!) science experiments kids will love from our shop!

Getting Ready

To prep, I gathered our supplies:

• 6 wide-mouth glasses or jars
• Paper towels (use the kind where you can select a size)
• Food dye or liquid water colors (red, yellow, and blue)

I grabbed the six small glasses first .  We’ve had success using wide-mouth drinking cups and canning jars, too.  Even though they all worked, just remember that bigger glasses will need more food coloring.

I ripped off six sheets of paper towel and folded each sheet in thirds, lengthwise.

We were using pretty small glasses, so I cut a few inches off the folded paper towel so it would fit in the glasses.

It’s a good idea to test your paper towel strip to make sure they fit properly in your glasses.  They should be able to go from the bottom of one jar to the next without sticking up in the air too much. The paper towel on the left shows the just-right height.  It’s important to set up this rainbow science experiment for success!

Making a Rainbow

This colorful rainbow science experiment is so simple and quick, it’s perfect for even the youngest little scientists.  My 3 year old, Q, couldn’t wait to get started.

First, I had him line up the glasses and fill the first one with a good squirt of red watercolor , the third with yellow, and the fifth glass with blue.  We left the other glasses empty.

Next, I helped Q add water to the glasses with color until the colored water almost reached the top.

We moved the glasses into a circle and added the paper towels .  Starting with the red, we added one end of the paper towel and then put the other end in the empty glass next to it.

We continued around until the last paper towel was placed into the red glass.

We saw the color wick up the paper towel right away.  This rainbow science experiment doesn’t take long to get going!

After another several minutes, the colored water had almost travelled the whole length of each paper towel.

Five minutes later, the water had traveled all the way up and then down the paper towel and was dripping into the empty glass.

The yellow and red water dripped into the empty cup to make orange!  It made for a good lesson on color mixing.

After another five minutes, we could see the water level had dropped in the red, yellow, and blue glasses and rose in the once empty glasses as the water continued to travel from the more full glasses to the less full glasses.

We grabbed a snack and watched our beautiful rainbow science experiment during the next 20 minutes. The water continued to walk from the primary colored glasses to fill the secondary-colored glasses until all the jars were filled equally.

Not Working?

If you aren’t seeing much movement within a few minutes, it may be that you need to add more water to your colored water glasses.  It really needs to be almost at the top for the water to walk quickly.  So try topping off those glasses and seeing if that gets things moving.

If you see the water moving up the paper towel but it seems like it’s taking forever , it may be the type of paper towel you are using.  You want a paper towel that will really hold a lot of water.  We have used Bounty Select-a-Size and Target’s Up and Up Brand Select-a-Size with success.

It really is worth the extra effort of trying different cups and paper towels to get this activity to work.  And once you have had success, don’t throw out those beautifully-colored paper towels or the colored water!  We gently squeezed out our paper towels and let them dry in a heap on a baking sheet.  We ended up with gorgeous tie-dyed looking paper towels to use for crafts and we used the leftover water as watercolors for painting with later.

The Science Behind It

This rainbow science experiment is as magic as the science behind it.  The colored water travels up the paper towel by a process called capillary action . Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow upward, against gravity, in narrow spaces.  This is the same thing that helps water climb from a plant’s roots to the leaves in the tree tops.

Paper towels, and all paper products, are made from fibers found in plants called cellulose .  In this demonstration, the water flowed upwards through the tiny gaps between the cellulose fibers.  The gaps in the towel acted like capillary tubes, pulling the water upwards.

The water is able to defy gravity as it travels upward due to the attractive forces between the water and the cellulose fibers.

The water molecules tend to cling to the cellulose fibers in the paper towel.  This is called adhesion .

The water molecules are also attracted to each other and stick close together, a process called cohesion .  So, as the water slowly moves up the tiny gaps in the paper towel fibers, the cohesive forces help to draw more water upwards.

At some point, the adhesive forces between the water and cellulose and the cohesive forces between the water molecules will be overcome by the gravitational forces on the weight of the water in the paper towel.  

When that happens, the water will not travel up the paper towel anymore. That is why it helps to shorten the length that colored water has to travel by making sure your paper towel isn’t too tall and making sure you fill your colored liquid to the top of the glass.

Rainbow Science Activity Extensions

Turn this demonstration into a true experiment by varying the water level (volume) you start with and seeing how long it takes the water to reach the empty glass.

Or start with the same volume of colored water and change the brand, type (single vs double ply, quilted vs not) or length of paper towel to see how long it takes for the water to “walk” to the empty glass.

You could even use the same volume of water, same length and brand of paper towel but vary the height of the filled glass , by raising them up on books, to see how that affects the speed of the water as it “walks” to the empty glass.

Have you had enough fun with the paper towels?  Try using other paper products to see how the type of paper effects the results.  Try toilet paper, printer paper, newspaper or a page from a glossy magazine.  What do you predict will happen?

Grab a Record Sheet

Help kids keep track of their results by grabbing our free record sheet! Then grab 30 more jaw-dropping (but easy prep!) science experiments kids will love from our shop!

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Compare absorption ability of Paper towels

Introduction: (initial observation).

Manufacturers of different paper towels usually claim that their product absorbs more water. There are different paper towels in the market in different price range. We are wondering which paper towel is really the best absorbent. Does it have any thing to do with price? Are there any visual indications that may help us to identify the best paper towel? Roll Paper Towels

This is a typical quality control project usually performed by quality control laboratories.

This project guide contains information that you need in order to start your project. If you have any questions or need more support about this project, click on the “ Ask Question ” button on the top of this page to send me a message.

If you are new in doing science project, click on “ How to Start ” in the main page. There you will find helpful links that describe different types of science projects, scientific method, variables, hypothesis, graph, abstract and all other general basics that you need to know.  

Project advisor

Information Gathering:

Find out about paper towel and how it is made. Read books, magazines or ask professionals who might know in order to learn about the factors that may affect the ability of paper towels to absorb water. Keep track of where you got your information from.

Following are samples of information that you may find in books or online resources:

Start by learning about the paper history. Use search keywords such as “paper history” or “the history of paper”.

Paper has a long history, beginning with the ancient Egyptians and continuing to the present day. For thousands of years, hand-made methods dominated and then, during the 19th century, paper production became industrialized. Originally intended purely for writing and printing purposes, a wide variety of paper grades and uses are now available to the consumer.

Source…

You may also want to search for the “invention of paper”.

Written communication has been the center of civilization for centuries. Most of our important records are on paper. Although writing has been around for a long time, paper hasn’t. In fact, putting thoughts down in written form wasn’t always easy or practical. Early people discovered that they could make simple drawings on the walls of caves, which was a great place for recording thoughts, but wasn’t portable.

Finally you may want to learn about the types of paper.

What type of paper is used for paper towel?

A paper towel is a piece of absorbent paper made for the general purposes of towels, but most often used for drying hands. There are two distinct classes of paper towels in existence: the “domestic” paper towel, and the “institutional” paper towel. Invented in 1907 by Arthur Scott, the paper towel has ascended to provide a simple and efficient method of cleaning.

Question/ Purpose:

What do you want to find out? Write a statement that describes what you want to do. Use your observations and questions to write the statement.

The purpose of this project is to compare several different brands of paper towels and determine which of them will absorb the most water/moisture. We assume that the most absorbent paper towel would be most useful for cleaning up spills of water and other liquids. We compare similar types of paper towels. The thickness of paper tissues and towels are rated by layers or “ply”. A 3-ply towel would normally be thicker and more absorbent than a 2-ply towel (not always but usually). We decide to use all 2-ply or all 3-ply, etc., in the experiment so that thickness is not a variable in the experiments.

Identify Variables:

When you think you know what variables may be involved, think about ways to change one at a time. If you change more than one at a time, you will not know what variable is causing your observation. Sometimes variables are linked and work together to cause something. At first, try to choose variables that you think act independently of each other.

Following is a sample:

Independent variable (also known as manipulated variable) is the type or brand of paper towel.

Dependent variable (also known as responding variable) is the amount of water each paper towel absorb.

Controlled variable is the temperature. (perform all your experiments at room temperature)

Constants are the size and number of layers of each paper towel.

Hypothesis:

As a hypothesis, the student will state which brand of paper towel is expected to absorb the most moisture. The hypothesis most likely will be based on past experience, intuition or advertising. The hypothesis will then be tested by experimentation. The brand of paper towel will be the independent variable and the amount of water absorbed will be the dependent variable in the experiment.

This is a sample hypothesis:

Among Three brands of Brawny, Bounty and Kleenex that I am testing Bounty is the more absorbent paper. My hypothesis is based on the advertisements and what I have heard from others.

Experiment Design:

Design an experiment to test each hypothesis. Make a step-by-step list of what you will do to answer each question. This list is called an experimental procedure. For an experiment to give answers you can trust, it must have a “control.” A control is an additional experimental trial or run. It is a separate experiment, done exactly like the others. The only difference is that no experimental variables are changed. A control is a neutral “reference point” for comparison that allows you to see what changing a variable does by comparing it to not changing anything. Dependable controls are sometimes very hard to develop. They can be the hardest part of a project. Without a control you cannot be sure that changing the variable causes your observations. A series of experiments that includes a control is called a “controlled experiment.”

Method #1 – The Drip Method :

The Materials Needed

1. Three sheets of each brand of paper towel to be tested.

2. Scissors

3. A roll of tape.

4. A glass or other container for the water.

5. A large eyedropper

The Methods Used

Tear off one sheet of each brand to be tested. Carefully mark each sheet so the original brand will not be confused. Lay one atop the other to see if each sheet is the same size as all others. If necessary cut and trim all sheets to the size of the smallest sheet. Now fold each sheet in half, in half again, again and again. The sheet has now been folded in half 4 times and is a tight pad only 1/16 its original size.

Next take a long strip of tape and run it along the edges of the last fold to hold the pad closed. Leave several inches of tape protruding from the end of the paper pad.

Use the excess tape to hang the pad from the spigot over the sink.

Finally, fill the eye-dropper with water and begin apply drops of water to the top-most corner of the pad. The moisture will slowly soak its way down the pad as more drops are added. Be certain to COUNT the number of the drops applied. Apply the drops slowly as the pad becomes more saturated… give it a chance to absorb as much moisture as possible. At some point, the pad will become totally saturated and unable to absorb anymore water. At that point it will begin to drip. Immediately stop adding water and record the total number of drops the towel absorbed before dripping.

To be sure the test was done properly, it should be repeated three times. If there is a difference in the number of drops absorbed, use the average value as the final for that brand of paper towel.

Finally, repeat the above for each brand of paper towel selected.

Method #2 – Capillary Action Method

When water is dropped on a paper towel, an immediate “spreading” of the damp spot is noticed. That spreading is due to capillary action, the ability of liquids to be drawn up into narrow spaces. The second method will test the capillary action of each brand of paper towel by having it absorb water against the force of gravity.

1. One sheet of each brand of paper towel to be tested. 2. Two clear glasses 3. One or more foot-long rulers (one for each brand tested is ideal) 4. Food coloring (just a few drops) 5. Magnifying glass (optional) 6. A supply of tape 7. Water 8. A spoon or other kitchen utensil to stir with 9. A watch or clock to keep time with.

1. Cut 1″ x 10″ strips of each paper towel brand being tested. Label each strip so that the brand identity cannot be confused.

2. Place the ruler(s) on the outside of a clear glass, standing straight up and with the one end of the ruler(s) level on the table top. The inch measurements should be outside the glass. Tape in place. If multiple rulers are used, space them apart by about the width of a ruler.

3. Tape a 1″x10″ sample strip on the back of the ruler, even with its top. Tape the strip only at the top. Although the ruler is outside the glass, the paper strip should hang inside the glass, its bottom hanging down to the 2″ mark on the ruler. If multiple rulers are available, tape the other paper samples onto their rulers as well.

6. Fill the second glass roughly half full of water. Add 5-6 drops of red food coloring and stir to mix.

7. Gently and carefully pour the colored water into the first glass until the water covers the bottom ends of the samples by about 1/16 inch. Record the time. Make a written notation of which sample seems to be absorbing the water the fastest (you will see the colored water seep up the sample).

8. Allow exactly 30 minutes to see what the maximum capillary action will be. Record the stop time for the experiment and also record the height to which each sample has absorbed the colored water. The use of the magnifying glass is optional but may help determine the height, especially of two or more of the samples are very close to each other.

9. Repeat the above method at least 3 times for each brand of paper towels. Use the average height to determine each brand’s capillary capability. Enter your results in a table shown below.

Make a graph:

Make a bar graph with one vertical bar for each brand of paper towel. The height of each bar will be the capillary action height based on your results table below.

Method #3 – The Squeeze Method

The Materials Needed:

1. Three sheets of each brand of paper towel to be tested. 2. Scissors 3. A large bowl 4. A graduated cylinder 5. A measuring cup 6. Water

Compare the sheet sizes for each brand of paper towel and if necessary use the scissors to trim all sheets to precisely the same size.

Fill a large bowl with water and place it in the sink. Set the measuring cup nearby.

Lay one paper towel flat in the bowl, and push it beneath the water’s surface. Leave the paper towel submerged for 15-20 seconds to make sure it is fully saturated.

Lift the towel from the water and hold it over the bowl to allow excess water to drain back into the bowl. Wait until there is only one drop every 2-3 seconds, then carefully fold the towel and hold it over the measuring cup. Squeeze as much water as possible out of the towel.

Repeat the above procedure for the 2nd and 3rd sheets of the same paper brand. Squeeze each sheet into the measuring cup.

When all three towels have been squeezed out, pour the water from the measuring cup into a graduated cylinder and carefully note the amount of water squeezed out of the three towels. Make entries in the project log book as to the water measurement.

Next move on to paper towel brand #2 and repeat the process of soaking three sheets one after another and squeezing the water out of them into the measuring cup. Again pour the combined water into the graduated cylinder for accurate measurement.

Repeat the procedure for all brands of paper towels.

The amounts of water now provide the answer as to which brand was the most absorbent. The brand which picked up the most water was the most absorbent.

Results table:

Write your results in a table that has two columns. First column is a list of paper towel brands that you are testing. The second column is the amount of water absorbed by each paper towel brand. Amount of water may be described as the number of drops, the weight of water or the volume of water in milliliters. This is a sample table:

Make a bar graph to visually present your experiment results. Make one vertical bar for each brand. The height of each bar represents that amount of water each brand can absorb. Under each bar write the name of the brand it represents. On the top of each bar write the amount of water it can absorb.

Results of Experiment (Observation):

The data could be presented in written form or a bar graph would be an excellent visual method of displaying the final results. Each brand tested should have its own bar. The length of the bars would be proportional to the amount of water absorbed.

Summary of Results:

Summarize what happened. This can be in the form of a table of processed numerical data, or graphs. It could also be a written statement of what occurred during experiments.

It is from calculations using recorded data that tables and graphs are made. Studying tables and graphs, we can see trends that tell us how different variables cause our observations. Based on these trends, we can draw conclusions about the system under study. These conclusions help us confirm or deny our original hypothesis. Often, mathematical equations can be made from graphs. These equations allow us to predict how a change will affect the system without the need to do additional experiments. Advanced levels of experimental science rely heavily on graphical and mathematical analysis of data. At this level, science becomes even more interesting and powerful.

Conclusion:

The bar graphs, or even just the recorded results if no graph is prepared, will make the final results obvious. The student should present those results and decide whether or not the original hypothesis was confirmed or disproved. If possible, the student should also offer reasons as to why the winning brand was the most absorbent. Was it the texture? The way the paper was made? The project report should note any differences in the brands which might account for the outcome.

Related Questions & Answers:

What you have learned may allow you to answer other questions. Many questions are related. Several new questions may have occurred to you while doing experiments. You may now be able to understand or verify things that you discovered when gathering information for the project. Questions lead to more questions, which lead to additional hypothesis that need to be tested.

After you have completed your experiments and identified the paper towel that is the best absorbent, you may be wondering what is the cause of such difference.

To find an answer you may need to do additional experiments and observations as follows:

• Use a magnifier or microscope to compare the fibers used in making the paper towels you tested.
• Also cut one square foot of each paper towel and measure its weight. Find out how much fiber is used in making of one square foot of each paper towel.

Possible Errors:

If you did not observe anything different than what happened with your control, the variable you changed may not affect the system you are investigating. If you did not observe a consistent, reproducible trend in your series of experimental runs there may be experimental errors affecting your results. The first thing to check is how you are making your measurements. Is the measurement method questionable or unreliable? Maybe you are reading a scale incorrectly, or maybe the measuring instrument is working erratically.

If you determine that experimental errors are influencing your results, carefully rethink the design of your experiments. Review each step of the procedure to find sources of potential errors. If possible, have a scientist review the procedure with you. Sometimes the designer of an experiment can miss the obvious.

References:

Visit your local library and find any possible books related to paper manufacturing. Find out how the papers are made and what are different types of paper.

List such books in your bibliography as your references.

You must also include your online resources and electronic resources such as websites and encyclopedias on CDROMs.

It is always important for students, parents and teachers to know a good source for science related equipment and supplies they need for their science activities. Please note that many online stores for science supplies are managed by MiniScience.

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