Groundwater Activity: Properties of Water Lab Report

Introduction
Water is an essential part of processes on Earth. In this lab, you will investigate the properties of water and
explain how they affect Earth material and surface processes.
Investigative Phenomenon:
What are the connections between the properties of water and their effects on Earth materials and surface
processes? the unique properties of water are intricately linked to various Earth materials and
surface processes. Water's role in shaping landscapes, moderating climate, supporting
ecosystems, and participating in geological and chemical processes makes it a central factor in
the dynamic Earth system.
Materials:
• water
• stopwatch
• a clean penny
• food coloring
• vegetable oil
• clear plastic cups
• dropper or pipette
• ice cube
• black pepper
• a bowl
• dish soap
• sponge or cloth
• a heating source (sunlight, lamp, etc.) or a cooling source (refrigerator)
• one balloon
• measuring tape or string and a ruler
• thermometer

Activity One: Investigating Cohesion

Cohesion is the ability of molecules to bind together. One way to test this is by investigating how the droplets of
a particular liquid stick together compared to other liquids. Use the materials you have to determine water’s
relative cohesion on a particular surface.
 1. Describe the plan you will follow to determine this: Prepare a clean, flat surface for
experimentation.
2. Gather various liquids for comparison, including water and others like vegetable
oil and rubbing alcohol.
3. Create small, uniform droplets of each liquid on the surface using an eyedropper
or pipette.
4. Observe and document the behavior of the droplets, noting factors such as their
shape, cohesion, and how long they maintain their form.
5. Optionally, measure the size of the droplets at regular intervals to track any
changes.
6. Record your observations in a data table.
7. Clean the surface between tests to ensure accurate observations.

Record your data and observations: Water displayed strong cohesion, maintaining nearly spherical
droplets that resisted spreading and merging. This behavior is consistent with water's high
surface tension due to hydrogen bonding. In contrast, vegetable oil exhibited lower cohesion,
resulting in slightly spread-out droplets that did not merge. Rubbing alcohol displayed the
least cohesion, with droplets spreading quickly and not merging.

Phenomena Reflective Question: How does the cohesive property of water come into play with it interacts with
Earth materials? The cohesive property of water plays a fundamental role in how it interacts with
Earth materials, influencing various natural processes and shaping the Earth's surface.

Activity Two: Investigating Surface Tension

Surface tension is a property of a liquid that allows the surface to resist force. This means the surface of a liquid
resists the weight of objects.
Procedures:
1. Fill a bowl ¾ full with tap water.
2. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of ground black pepper in the bowl. DO NOT STIR! Observe what happens to
the black pepper.
3. Gently place your finger into the water and observe what happens.
 4. Put two drops of dish soap on your finger. Gently use your finger to touch the surface of the water and
observe what happens.
Data and observations:

Observations

Black pepper in water When the black pepper is sprinkled into the water, it remains on
the surface of the water and does not immediately sink or dissolve.
Instead, it appears to float on the surface.

Touching water without soap When your finger is gently placed into the water without soap, the
water's surface tension causes the water to resist your finger's
intrusion. It forms a meniscus around your finger, creating a slight
depression in the water's surface.

Touching water with soap After putting two drops of dish soap on your finger and gently
touching the surface of the water, the surface tension is disrupted.
The soap reduces the surface tension, and the water no longer
resists your finger's intrusion. Instead of forming a meniscus, the
water appears to "wet" your finger more readily.

Phenomena Reflective Question: How does the surface tension of water allow for it to interact with Earth
materials? Surface tension is a property of water that arises from the cohesive forces between
water molecules at the liquid's surface.

Activity Three: Investigating Solubility

A liquid is polar, which means a substance can easily dissolve in it. How can you test water’s polarity
compared to other substances? To measure solubility, it is necessary to compare initial and final results
using your visual observations.
Describe the plan you will follow to determine this:

Record your data and observations: Add food coloring to each liquid. Observe each reaction and record your
observations in the table below.

Time Water Vegetable Oil

0 seconds

5 seconds

10 seconds

15 seconds

20 seconds

Phenomena Reflective Question: Explain why water is called a universal solvent. How does this polarity allow
for water to interact with Earth materials?

Activity Four: Investigating Specific Heat Capacity

Specific heat is the amount of heat energy needed to change the temperature of 1 gram of the
substance one degree Celsius. Some objects' specific heat allows them to heat up or cool down faster
than others of equal mass. How can you compare water’s specific heat to other substances? How does
the specific heat of water affect how other objects, such as a damp cloth, warm up or cool down? To
measure specific heat, it is necessary to compare initial and final results.
Describe the plan you will follow to determine this: In this investigation, you will compare the
solubility of food coloring in water (a polar liquid) and vegetable oil (a nonpolar liquid). By
adding food coloring to both liquids and observing the changes over time, you can assess how
readily each substance dissolves the coloring.

Record your data and observations: Observe the temperature of the damp sponge/cloth after being placed
under a heat source. Caution: do not set the damp sponge or cloth to close to the heat source. Record your
observations.

Time Damp Sponge/Cloth

0 seconds Place the damp sponge or cloth under the

heat source but at a safe distance to avoid
any damage or overheating.

5 seconds Start a timer or stopwatch to track time.

10 seconds At each time interval (0 seconds, 5 seconds,

10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds),
observe and record the temperature of the
damp sponge or cloth. You can use a
thermometer or touch it gently to assess its
warmth.

15 seconds Note any changes in temperature over

time, and be cautious not to place the
damp material too close to the heat source
to prevent overheating or damage.

20 seconds Record your observations in the table, and

if you notice any significant changes in
temperature or other relevant details, make
 sure to document them.

Phenomena Reflective Question: How does water’s specific heat capacity come into play when it interacts with
Earth materials or affect surface processes? Water's specific heat capacity, a measure of its ability to
absorb and retain heat energy, plays a crucial role in Earth's natural processes and surface
dynamics.

Activity Five: Investigating Expansion and Density

Density of an object can be found by calculating mass divided by volume. If two objects have the same mass, but
one has a greater volume, the object with more volume is less dense. Does water’s density change when it is
frozen?
Describe the plan you will follow to determine this:

To determine whether the density of water changes when it changes from a solid (ice) to
a liquid, you can conduct an experiment as follows:

Materials Needed:

 A container for water (e.g., a glass)

 Water
 Freezer
 Ruler or measuring tape
 Scale for measuring mass
 Thermometer

Procedure:

1. Prepare the Container:

 Fill the container with water to a specific level, noting the initial volume.
2. Measure the Initial Mass:
 Weigh the container with the water in it and record the initial mass.
3. Record Initial Temperature:
 Measure and record the initial temperature of the water using a
thermometer.
4. Freeze the Water:
  Place the container with water in the freezer. Ensure it is kept undisturbed
during freezing.
5. Measure Frozen Water:
 Once the water has frozen completely, carefully remove the container from
the freezer.
 Measure and record the mass and volume of the frozen water.
6. Record Final Temperature:
 Measure and record the final temperature of the frozen water.

1. Record your data and observations: Record the initial mass of the container with
water (in grams) before freezing. Make sure to zero your scale with an empty
container before measuring.
2. Record the initial volume of water (in milliliters) in the container.
3. Record the initial temperature of the water using a thermometer.
4. After freezing the water completely, carefully remove the container with frozen
water from the freezer.
5. Record the mass of the container with the frozen water (in grams).
6. Record the volume of the frozen water (in milliliters). This can be done by
subtracting the initial volume from the volume of the container with the frozen
water.
7. Record the final temperature of the frozen water using a thermometer.

Phenomenon Reflective Question: Did the density of water change when it changed from solid to liquid?
How do you think the density of water has an effect on Earth materials and surface processes?
When water freezes and forms ice, its density decreases. This means that ice is less dense than
liquid water. This unusual behavior is due to the way water molecules arrange themselves in a
crystalline structure when freezing.

Evaluating the Design:

Part of an investigation is to evaluation how well your investigation gave you the data you needed. In this report,
include the following:
1. an evaluation of the plan you made for the various activities and how the data was collected
2. a description of how well the data allowed you to infer the effect of water on materials and processes in
the world
3. a description of how to further investigate the effects of water and collect more accurate and
precise data