AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The high surface tension helps the paper clip-with much higher density-float on the water. The cohesive forces between liquid molecules are responsible for the phenomenon known as surface tension.

Detailed explanation-2: -The water bends, and displaces more water than the paperclip normally would. A paper clip weighs about half of a gram. With the surface tension bending the water, it displaces more than half of a gram of water, allowing the paperclip to float, delicately, on the surface.

Detailed explanation-3: -Why? The paperclip will float due to surface tension. Surface tension is the attraction of like particles to one another on a surface-in our case, a water-air surface. Water molecules on a surface experience cohesion, which is the sticking together of one molecule to another molecule of the same material.

Detailed explanation-4: -When the tissue is submerged, the paper clip remains on top of the water because of the surface tension of the water. Adding soap reduces the surface tension of water. Soap, a surfactant, will cause the paper clip to sink.