Thick and thin liquids
Chemistry · Early Years · The School
Thick and thin
Honey is THICK. It moves slowly. It takes its time to pour, in a long slow ribbon. Water is THIN. It moves fast. It pours in a quick splash, straight away. Thick and thin is a real way to sort liquids. It works just like hard and soft sorts solid things.
Racing liquids
Tip a tray up at one end, like a little hill. Pour a little honey at the top. Pour a little water at the top too, on a separate track next to it. Watch them race down together. The water reaches the bottom first, every single time. The honey moves slowly behind it, taking far longer.
Why it matters
A thick liquid, like glue, is good for sticking things together. It stays where you put it, and does not run away. A thin liquid, like water, is good for drinking, or for pouring quickly into a cup. The right thickness matters for the job it needs to do.
Tip a tray up at one end. Pour honey, washing-up liquid and water at the top, each on its own track. Watch closely. WATER reaches the bottom first — it is the thinnest. WASHING-UP LIQUID comes second — thicker than water, thinner than honey. HONEY comes last, moving slowly the whole way. Same tray. Same tilt. Same starting point. Three very different speeds, because of how thick each liquid is.