Invisible Skin
Have you ever wondered how polar bears are able to survive when they are swimming in the freezing cold waters of the Arctic? Let’s find out.
Invisible Skin
Have you ever wondered why Polar Bears don’t mind swimming the freezing Arctic water? We are going to have so much fun exploring how molecules work together to create a barrier that helps polar bears stay just a bit warmer. Before we jump into the invisible skin experiment, please take a moment to pin this post to your homeschool science board.
What are molecules?
A molecule is two or more atoms joined (or “bonded”) tightly together. The number and kinds of atoms in a molecule, and the way they are arranged, determine what substance it makes.
Invisible Skin Supplies
What you will need:
4 to 6 drops of vegetable oil
water
liquid or bar soap for hand washing
journal
pens and crayons
Result Timing: 10 minutes
Invisible Skin Experiment
What to do:
- First holding your hands over a sink put about 4-6 drops of oil into one hand and then rub your hands together.
- Next, turn on the cold water and let the water run over your hands. What happens when the water touches the coating of oil on your hands?
- Write down your answers in your journal, draw a picture of what your hands look like.
- Next, rub some soap into your hands and put them back in the water. What happens when the water touches your clean hands?
- Write down your answer in your journal, draw a picture of what your hands look like now.
Check Out the Invisible Skin Experiment In Action
How The Invisible Skin Experiment Works
Water is made of extremely tiny pieces called molecules. The molecules of water stick together very tightly. The molecules that makeup oil are arranged differently from water molecules, so when they’re put together, the oil molecules won’t easily dissolve into the water. You probably noticed that the water rolled off your oily hands (the oil being the “invisible skin”) rather than washing the oil off with it, the water molecules stick to other water molecules rather than grabbing onto the oil molecules. So that is why polar bears don’t mind swimming in the freezing water. Their fur is very oily and so it acts as a kind of waterproof coat to keep the water away from their skin.
PIN IT FOR LATER
