Water Science Fair Projects, Revised and Expanded Using the Scientific Method Book

Introduction: Water Experiments and Projects Using the Scientific Method 7

How Scientists Search for Answers 10

Using the Scientific Method in Experiments and Projects 12

Science Fairs 20

Safety First 24

1 The Structure of Water 27

1.1 What Makes Up Water? 28

1.2 Can You Bend a Falling Stream of Water? 33

1.3 Solubility 38

1.4 How Much Salt Can Water Hold? 45

2 The Three States of Matter of Water 49

2.1 Colored Ice 51

2.2 Molecules Are Always in Motion 54

2.3 Why Can an Ice Cube Float in Water? 58

2.4 Heating Ice 64

2.5 Evaporation Removes Heat 68

2.6 Water, Water in the Air 71

2.7 Purification by Distillation 75

3 Surface Tension, Adhesion, and Cohesion of Liquid Water 79

3.1 How Many Drops of Water Can a Penny Hold on Its Surface? 80

3.2 Feeling the Force of Surface Tension 84

3.3 Cohesive Versus Adhesive Forces 87

3.4 Shape of Liquid-Solid Interface 90

3.5 Drops and Raindrops 94

3.6 Surface Tension and Getting Clean 98

3.7 What Is a Soap Bubble? 102

3.8 Capillarity: Water Can Walk Up the Sides of a Tube 106

3.9 Paper Chromatography 111

4 Chemical Properties of Water 117

4.1 Water Reacts with Metal Oxides 119

4.2 Does Iron React with Water? 123

4.3 Water Makes Some Reactions Possible 126

4.4 Acids, Bases, and Indicators 129

4.5 Do Acids and Bases Neutralize Each Other? 135

4.6 How Powerful Are the Hydrogen Ions? 140

4.7 Testing the Quality of Drinking Water 146

Glossary 152

Further Reading 156

Internet Addresses 157

Index 158