Question

properties of water
look at the image of the colored water from the \climbing water\ lab we did in class several weeks ago.
which properties of water explain how the water is able to climb the paper towels and travel to a different cup?
be sure to use the terms cohesion, adhesion, and surface tension in your explanation.
*you may not need all three terms.

Explanation:

Adhesion is the attraction between water molecules and the paper towel (a different substance). Cohesion is the attraction between water molecules themselves. As water molecules adhere to the paper towel fibers, more water molecules follow due to cohesion. This combined action allows water to "climb" the paper towel. Surface tension (the property that makes water's surface act like a stretched elastic sheet) is less relevant here as it mainly affects the surface behavior in a flat - like situation (e.g., water forming droplets on a flat surface), not the climbing action.

Answer:

The properties of water that explain how water climbs the paper towels are adhesion (attraction between water and paper towel) and cohesion (attraction between water molecules).