Diaper Analysis
Materials:
o
Water
o
Beaker
o
Diapers
o
Food
coloring
o
Salt
Experiment:
1. Get 500 mL of water in a
beaker. Add a few drops of food coloring
and stir.
2. Pour a small amount of the
solution at the center of a diaper. For
each brand of diaper, record how much water can be soaked up without running of
when you pick the diaper up by its end. 
3. Mix up a saturated solution
of salt and water.
4. Select one brand of diaper,
and repeat step 2 with the salt and water solution. Record the amount of salt and water solution
that is soaked up.
5. Using a pair of scissors and
a new diaper, deconstruct the diaper.
How many different types of materials do you find (list them if you
can). How many different layers? In what order are the layers arranged?
6. Discuss results.
Goal: Comparison of which solution (water or water
with 
salt) absorbs more easily into the diaper. Students should also be able to do a
comparison of several brands of diapers to see which absorbs more. Students should explore the style of
construction of the diaper, such as alternating layers, difference in material
types, and 
inclusion of absorptive polymer powders to
improve loading capacity. Discussion in
class focused on what is a monomer, what is a polymer, where do fibers come
from, are they paper or cloth, and where else do we see plastic materials in
our daily lives.
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school and high school