Make A Paperclip Float

What you need

 A bowl
 Pencil with eraser
 Clean dry paperclips
 Dry tissue paper

What to do

1. Fill the bowl with water

2. Tear a piece of tissue paper about half the size of a dollar bill
3. Gently drop the tissue flat onto the surface of the water (the tissue must not sink)
4. Gently place a dry paperclip flat on the tissue paper (try not to touch the tissue or
the water with your hand)
5. Use the eraser end of the pencil to poke the tissue until the tissue sinks (try not
poke the paperclip)

Observation
 Without the tissue paper the paperclip can’t float. When the tissue paper was
placed below the paperclip, the paperclip can now float. Even when the tissue paper sank
the paperclip still floats. The water can only hold 3 paperclips at a time.

Conclusion
The paperclip cannot float without the tissue because the water needs more SURFACE
TENSION. The surface tension is caused by the attraction of particles in the surface
layer of the liquid.