Wonder Water Bridge

Water is life. In this instructable made with very minimal items, I've experimented with some colors and is based on the science of 'Osmosis'(Osmosis is the spontaneous net movement or diffusion of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane from a region of high water potential to a region of low water potential, in the direction that tends to equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides). I loved making this simple project and if you feel excited to try, I bet you will enjoy as well.

1. 7 clear and clean plastic cups

2. Paper towel

3. Food colors (Red, Green, Yellow & Orange)

4. Water (Obviously :-))

5. Scissors

6. Spoon

In this step, I gathered 7 clear and clean plastic cups, 4 food colors (Red, Green, Yellow & Orange). Filled in a jug of regular water. Paper towel.

Of the total 7 cups, I filled up only 4 cups with 75% of water as seen in images 1 & 2. Placed these with a gap of 1 cup in between.

Added yellow, green, red and orange food colors to each cup and stirred with a spoon. All the 4 cups are now colorful with the addition of food colors as shown in images 1-5.

In this step I took 1 paper towel and then folded it into half along the length (image 2). Then into 1/4 fold again (see image 3). Then based on the height of the cups I cut it into a length such that it just touches the bottom of two cups and folded it at the center (image 4 & 5).

Then I placed the 3 empty cups between the colored water cups in a straight row as shown in image 2. Carefully added the paper towel strips (bridge) to each adjacent cups (image 3). Water immediately starts traveling from the filled up cup to the empty. Water level after 15 minutes (image 4), 30 minutes (image 5), 45 minutes (image 7). Finally the water level equalizes for all the cups.

At last we see the different colors formed as a result of the colorful water traveling via the paper towel bridge from one cup to the other adjacent cup (image 12). Did I bring some colors to the colorless water?