Water Bells Demonstrate What Makes Water Sticky
Water is forced outward through the fountainhead to create a bell shape. The curved shape and smooth surface show how water sticks to itself, a characteristic called cohesion. Hydrogen bonds link water molecules together. At the surface, those strong hydrogen bonds create a kind of “skin.”The surface tension is very powerful in water, which you’ve seen if you’ve ever watched delicate insects in a pond literally “walk on water.” You may notice that one of the “water bells” is filled with mist - another form of water. The mist forms when ultrasonic waves shake liquid water into very tiny spherical water droplets. The powerful surface tension and cohesion hold the mist inside. You can channel the fog from one dome to the next by making a tunnel with your hands.
Challenge:
How many ways can you find to break through the surface of the “water bells?”
Water is Dynamic!
The strong hydrogen bond is what makes water so unusual. While most molecules expand when they melt, water molecules do the opposite, expanding when they freeze. Most molecules are denser in their solid state, but watch an ice cube float and you’ll see that water is different.
“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” ~ Loren Eiseley
