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How to Make a Sewing Needle Float on Water

Water is made up of H2O molecules, and each molecule contains three atoms -- two hydrogen, one oxygen. According to the University of Minnesota, the hydrogen-oxygen bond creates a high surface tension in water. Water actually sticks to itself, and as a result, lightweight items float. Experiment with water's surface tension by trying to get a sewing needle to float on top of it.

Things You'll Need

Bowl
Distilled water
Paper towel

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a bowl or wide-mouthed glass with distilled water. Use distilled water rather than tap water because distilled won't have the chemicals and additives that may be in tap water and may disturb the surface tension.
- 2
  Place a piece of paper towel on top of the water. The paper towel should be bigger than the sewing needle.
- 3
  Put the sewing needle flat on top of the paper towel. Do this gently so you don't break the surface tension of the water.
- 4
  Push down each corner of the paper towel gently until the paper towel slowly sinks to the bottom of the bowl. You will be left with a floating needle.

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