Microscope - Fabric & Paper

Today we looked a little more closely at fabrics and papers.

What does the fabric of a bandage look like close up?

What do our clothes look like?

Couch fabric?

Natural materials (cotton) versus Synthetic materials (polyester or nylon)?

How does newspaper differ from writing paper?

Is there even a difference?

What about toilet paper?

Why does toilet paper absorb, yet writing paper does not?

All good questions.

Today we will find the answers.

(I'll try not to go picture crazy, but there are no guarantees.) ;)

First a look at fabrics:

Cotton Versus Polyester

A cotton T-shirt versus a polyester top.

Cotton is very fibrous because it is a natural material.

Since polyester is man-made, it is smooth.

 

The Fabric of a Bandage

How can it absorb the blood, but not stick to the wound itself?

The answer: Because the padding is made out of polypropylene (manmade), and it is made with little holes that allow it to absorb blood.  On the surface of the bandage is a polypropylene netting with much larger holes that do not absorb moisture, so that part doesn't stick.  It's all about layers, the material and the weave of the fabric.

The Fabric of our Couch

(The material is microfiber)

My daughter said, "Ew, we sit on that?" haha!

And now a look at paper:

Newspaper
All colors printed on paper are used with Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & Black

A white building with a black background (sideways)

The 'Y' in print appears as just red while viewing it normally.

The letter 'm' (sideways) at the edge of a ripped newspaper (to show the fiber).

Newspaper is very absorbent.  

So how do they keep the ink from bleeding into the paper?  

The ink is made with alcohol which dries so quickly, it doesn't have time to bleed.

Writing Paper

Writing paper, like in notebooks, is very fibrous (more so than copy paper - see below)

Inkpens aren't made with alcohol so why doesn't it bleed into the paper?  Writing paper is not absorbent because it is covered in a waxy liquid called size.

Copy Paper 

The kind of paper you'd put in your printer or copier machine.

Pieces of pine & fir trees cut and mixed with chemicals, then flattened to form copy paper.

Toilet Paper 

The kids were amazed at how 'holey' toilet paper is.

The fabric of toilet paper is spaced apart so that liquid can be absorbed easily.

Another fun-filled day in Science!

The answers to our questions were found in the book "The Usborne Complete Book of the Microscope Internet Linked" by Kirsteen Rogers

Pictures are from us. :)