Which paper towel soaks up the most water?
- 💧 Water
- 🧽 A bit messy
My hypothesis
If I change the kind of paper towel, then how many spoonfuls of water it holds will ______, because ______.
You fill in the blanks. Think about what a paper towel looks like up close, and where the water could go. A guess is a good because: the test finds out.
Change, measure, keep the same
CHANGE
the kind of paper towel: Kind A, Kind B, Kind C
MEASURE
how many spoonfuls of water it holds, in teaspoons
KEEP THE SAME
- the same size of square
- the same spoon
- the same plate, lying flat
Scientists call the thing you change the independent variable and the thing you measure the dependent variable. The things you keep the same are the controls: if one of them changed too, you wouldn't know which change made the difference. Try each of the 3 levels 3 times.
What you need
- Paper towels: 3 kinds: label them A, B and C
- Measuring spoons
- Water from the tap
- Small plates or saucers, all the same: 1
- Crayons or markers
- ✂️ Kid scissors
- 📏 A ruler
Steps
- Write A, B and C on three sheets so you know which kind is which.
- Cut a square 15 cm across from each kind.
- Lay square A flat on a plate.
- Drip water on it one teaspoon at a time, counting as you go.
- Stop when water runs off onto the plate, and write the count down.
- Do it two more times with new squares of A.
- Do three tests with B and three with C.
- Draw a bar for each kind. Which one soaked up the most?
Every step is one you can do yourself, with a grown-up nearby. Write each number down straight away, in the table below, so nothing is lost.
Your results table
Name ______________________ Fair day ____________
Question: Which paper towel soaks up the most water?
I changed: Paper towel I measured: how many spoonfuls of water it holds (teaspoons)
| Paper towel | Try 1 (teaspoons) | Try 2 (teaspoons) | Try 3 (teaspoons) | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kind A | ||||
| Kind B | ||||
| Kind C |
MY GRAPH (a bar graph: paper towel along the bottom, teaspoons up the side)
What I noticed: ______________________________________________
From 4th grade, add the tries for each level and divide by how many there were: that's the mean, and it goes in the last column. Then draw a bar graph, one bar for each thing you tried.
Name ______________________ Fair day ____________
Question: Which paper towel soaks up the most water?
If I change the kind of paper towel, then how many spoonfuls of water it holds will ________________, because _____________________________________________
| I CHANGE | I MEASURE | I KEEP THE SAME |
|---|---|---|
| Paper towel: Kind A, Kind B, Kind C | how many spoonfuls of water it holds (teaspoons) |
|
What I think will happen, in my own words:
Name ______________________ Fair day ____________
Question: Which paper towel soaks up the most water?
| Date | What I did | What I saw | What I think |
|---|---|---|---|
Name ______________________ Fair day ____________
Question: Which paper towel soaks up the most water?
| Date | What I did | What I saw | What I think |
|---|---|---|---|
Name ______________________ Fair day ____________
Question: Which paper towel soaks up the most water?
| Date | What I did | What I saw | What I think |
|---|---|---|---|
Name ______________________ Fair day ____________
Question: Which paper towel soaks up the most water?
My hypothesis was ☐ right ☐ partly right ☐ not right.
I know because my numbers show:
What surprised me, or what might have gone wrong (7th and up):
Next time I would test:
Idea: Change a second thing: test each kind single and folded in half, and work out how much water each layer holds.
Why it works
A paper towel is made of tiny fibers with gaps between them. Water creeps into the gaps and clings there, which scientists call capillary action. Towels with more and bigger gaps, often thicker ones or ones with two layers, hold more water.
Going further (7th and up): Change a second thing: test each kind single and folded in half, and work out how much water each layer holds.
Board layout
- ❓ Question (10 × 8 in): Which paper towel soaks up the most water?
- 💭 Hypothesis (10 × 9 in): If I change the kind of paper towel, then how many spoonfuls of water it holds will ______, because ______.
- 🧺 Materials (10 × 12 in): 5 things: see your list.
- 🪜 Steps (22 × 9 in): 8 steps, three tries at each level.
- 📊 Results (22 × 16 in): Your table (Paper towel down the side, tries across) and your bar graph.
- ✅ Conclusion (10 × 14 in): My hypothesis was right / partly right / not right. I know because…
Materials to list: Paper towels; Measuring spoons; Water from the tap; Small plates or saucers, all the same; Crayons or markers.
Bring photos or drawings of your test. Nothing wet, hot, powered or alive on the table.
This project at your grade
| 1st–3rd grade | Tries: three at each level (one is fine at a first fair). The table: levels and tries, numbers or pictures. The graph: a picture, or a simple bar graph. The conclusion: what happened, in their words. |
|---|---|
| 4th–6th grade | Tries: three at each level. The table: units in the header and a mean column. The graph: a bar graph, or a line for a number that grows. The conclusion: right, partly or not, and the numbers that show it. |
From 4th grade up, the table gets a mean column. See every project for 1st grade, or print a blank results table.
What a judge will ask
- What did you change, and what did you measure? I changed the kind of paper towel and measured how many spoonfuls of water it holds, in teaspoons.
- What did you keep the same, and why does that matter? I kept the same size of square and the same spoon the same, so the only difference was the kind of paper towel.
- How many times did you test it? 3 times at each of my 3 levels.
- If you did it again, what would you change or test next? I'd test each kind single and folded in half, and work out how much water each layer holds.
Make it yours
Keep this project on this device and Peabody counts down to your fair day, with a plan for each day. Nothing is sent anywhere.
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