Paper Towel Experiment

A paper towel which can also be known as kitchen paper is an absorbent towel made up of cellulose fibers, which also make up other plants like cotton and wood instead of cloth material. Although paper towels cannot be washed and used again, paper towels are disposable. The key to why paper towels soak up water is the cellulose fibers. Cellulose fibers are giant molecules which are made up of smaller molecules called sugar molecules (inedible) joined together. The liquid grips onto the cellulose fibers, absorbing liquid spills effectively and easily like dissolving sugar into water. This process is called the capillary action, occasionally referred to as surface tension. The capillary action is the rising/absorption of liquid through small gaps
The liquid in which was absorbed is then separately kept in one of the open spaces. The liquid bubbles stay intact, are pulled upwards, resulting in intermolecular attraction. This attraction is stronger than the gravitational pull on the liquid. However, the liquid will stop rising when the intermolecular attraction is equal to the weight of the water in the paper towel. The oxygen atom in a water molecule had a small negative charge and the hydrogen atom has a small positive charge. This is perfect for cellulose fibers as the sugar molecules have also been joined up with hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the outside edges of their sugar molecules. The positive (hydrogen) end of the water molecule attracts to the negative end of the sugar molecules, as opposites attract. Thus, when paper towels are wrung out, water drips out of the towel due to the wringing, breaking the surface tension. The liquid molecule stays intact together when the open spaces are compacted, which are then weighted down by gravity.
Paper towels can be individually packed in stacks each folded or held coiled. Today, paper towels usually come in rolls. The household product has various purposes similar to fabric towels such as; wiping down spills, dusting, drying hands, cleaning windows and etc. However, consumers who used paper towels as part of a household product would want to know if paper towels with more ply made a difference in terms of absorption. This experiment is relevant because the purpose of performing this investigation is to also find out if all brands which had the same ply absorbed the similar