Wriggling Wrappers

Next time you’re out for a burger why not try a little science investigation.  You know how long you have to wait for a plain burger (why do they put that disgusting pickle in anyhow?) so amuse yourself while you wait…

You will need:

• drinking straw wrapped in a paper wrapper (like the sort in McDonalds)
• water or fizzy drink (probably not a thickshake!)
• an audience

What to do:

1. Tear the ends off the straw wrapper and bunch it up together in the middle of the straw.
2. Slide the bunched up wrapper off the straw so that it is lying on the table.
3. Dip your straw in the drink and then put your fingertip over the end of the straw so that some liquid is trapped in the straw.
4. With your finger over the end of the straw, take it out of the drink and position it over the middle of your bunched-up wrapper.
5. Release your finger and allow a few drops of drink to drip onto the wrapper.
6. Hey! Look at that!  It’s wriggling and growing.

What’s going on?

Did you see the wrapper wiggle and grow? Did you also notice that as the water soaked into the paper, it slowly absorbed and worked its way along the length of wrapper? But why does water do this? When the small drop of water touched the crumpled wrapper, the water crept from dry paper fibre to dry paper fibre. This particular ability of water to creep along is called capillary action. As each fibre absorbs water, it swells and straightens out, this makes the wrapper get longer and grow. Looks a bit like a worm doesn’t it?  Moves like one too.

Right now.  Anyone ready for a race?  It’s the Wriggly Wrapper Worm Races.

1. Take your scrunched up wrapper and draw two eyes on one end.
2. Using a straw as your Starting line, position all your ‘worms’ so that the ends are at the straw.
3. Place another straw at a distance (not too far!) from the Starting line.  This is your Finishing line.
4. Load up your straws and get ready to drip on the ends of the worms closest to the Starting line.
5. Ready Steady Go!
6. Whose worm reaches the Finishing line first? Let’s hear it for Nippy Norman!

With a bit of luck your wrappers will be completely extended by the time your order arrives.  Bon appetit!

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This week’s giveaway is a spy ear.  Y’know – one of those listening devices that allows you to sneak around the house listening in to things that other people don’t want you to hear!

If you want to win it, send us your name, age and address to: Hay-wire.Clubhouse@nesta.org.uk with ‘SNEAKOSCOPE’ as the subject. The winners will be picked at random at 5pm, on Wednesday 21st March 2007.

Good luck!

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Remember Issue 63 when we were giving away five copies of Flipside magazine? The lucky winners are Ryan Bradley-Evans (age 11) of Brecon, Christopher Davis (13) of Cowbridge,  Chris Lloyd (13) of Shrewsbury, Benjamin Giles (13) of Aylesbury and Sophie Robinson (12) of Yarm.  Well done everyone! 

So remember – keep entering ‘cos next time it could be you!

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