ACS: Science ABCs - 'D' is for Drop

Delilah is quite happy—
She loves a rainy day.
She grabs her boots and raincoat
And runs right out to play.

The rain is not a problem
Because her coat’s so slick.
She never comes home soaking
The water drops don’t stick.

Drops slide right off her raincoat,
As if they’re in a race.
That’s why it is a raincoat—
Drops leave without a trace!

 

Try this activity

What You’ll Need

  • piece of cardboard
  • sheet of white paper
  • wax paper
  • water
  • watch with a second hand
  • tape

Why don’t water drops stick to Delilah’s
raincoat or racetrack?

The tiny particles that make up water are strongly attracted to each other. They stick together to form drops, but the plastic in a raincoat and the wax in the wax-paper racetrack are made from substances with oil in them. Water and oil are not attracted to each other, so the drops roll right off.


Science Topics
Chemistry, Cohesion & Adhesion
K-6
Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade
Descriptions of PDFs

Try this activity

What are you looking for?

Organization

ACS (American Chemical Society)

Website URL

Type of Resource

PDF File
Tutorial
Video

Assigned Categories