Capillary Action Exploration

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Capillary action illustration showing water moving up a plant stem

🌿 Part 1: What Do You Know?

1. What is capillary action? Circle the best answer.

Water being pumped through pipes by a machine

Water moving upward through thin tubes because of adhesion and cohesion

Water evaporating from leaves into the air

Water flowing downhill due to gravity

2. Which word describes water molecules sticking to the walls of a plant stem?

Cohesion

Evaporation

Adhesion

Absorption

3. Tick all the examples below where capillary action is happening.

A paper towel soaking up a spill

A ball rolling down a hill

Coloured water moving up a celery stalk

Ink spreading through blotting paper

A rock sinking in water

4. In our experiment, what did the coloured water help us to see?

That plants make their own food from sunlight

That water moves upward through the stem of a plant

That flowers change colour in sunlight

That celery grows faster in warm water

✏️ Part 2: Experiment Observations & Thinking

5. Draw what you observed happening to the celery stalk or carnation during the experiment. Label the coloured water and the stem in your drawing.

6. Describe what you noticed happening every 5 minutes during the experiment. Use the words stem, colour, and water in your answer.

7. Complete the sentences using the words in the box: adhesion | cohesion | capillary action | upward

Water molecules sticking together is called ________________________.

Water molecules sticking to the walls of the stem is called ________________________.

Together, these two forces cause ________________________, which pulls water ________________________ through a plant.

8. Why is capillary action important for plants? Write your answer in 1–2 sentences.

9. Give one example from everyday life (not from a plant) where you can see capillary action happening. Explain why it is an example.

10. 🌟 Challenge: Do you think a thinner or wider tube would move water higher? Explain your thinking.

Capillary Action Exploration

Capillary Action Exploration

🌿 Part 1: What Do You Know?

✏️ Part 2: Experiment Observations & Thinking

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