Why does water go though paper towels?

Answer 1

Paper Towels can absorb water in two different ways. First, microscopic spaces in the towel have space for water to soak in, like a sponge. The water stays trapped in the spaces until squeezed out. The second way is when a chemical cellulose, which makes paper towels strong, soaks up the water molecules. Most paper towels contain both microscopic spaces and cellulose, so it absorbs the water extra well.

Answer 2

Water will soak into a paper towel if any part of the paper touches the water, just as it will climb up a thin tube if an open end of the tube is in water. Water behaves this way because of an effect called capillary action. Capillary action happens when bonding of a liquid's molecules to themselves is less than the attraction to another substance the molecules are touching.

It is because water is a polar molecule, ie it has a positive charge at one and and a negative charge at the other.

Paper is made of cellulose which has many hydrogen bonds, which is to say the molecule has many hydrogen atoms sticking out of it which are positively charged. The negative ends of the water molecules are attracted to them.

Answer 3

A paper towel sucks up water because of what is called capillary action. It is probably much better known as "wicking" to most folks. The fibers of the paper towel (and a regular towel or other similarly structured material) will come in contact with water, and, because water can "stick to stuff" it touches, it will stick to the fibers. Additionally, because of the surface tension of the water, it will literally pull itself along the fibers filling tiny spaces between those fibers.

Answer 4

Many ads on the television explain that their brand of paper towel is the most absorbent; it all depends on how thick the paper towel really is. Most of the home brands e.g. Coles etc. aren't very good quality and aren't very thick, but other brand such as handee ultra are really thick and are good quality paper towel, Research has shown that these are the most absorbent brands.

Research has shown that the thing that make paper towel absorb water is tiny little air pockets or capsules for the water to go into until it is squeezed out. The more air pockets or capsules the better absorption.

Answer 5

Water goes through paper towel because paper towel is a porous medium. The pores present in paper towel are larger than a molecule of water (~180 picometers). As a result, water is allowed to pass through the towel because the water has mass and gravity is acting on that mass pushing it through the towel. Also, the small spaces in a paper towel act like a bed of capillaries and will actually draw water up the towel against the force of gravity. This is a result of a phenomenon known as capillarity, capillary force, or capillary action--And probably other names.

Answer 6

Paper towels don't "absolve" anything. They absorb water through the wicking effect, where in since liquids have a specific density they will cling so surfaces that are close within their minimum natural mass, causing the liquid to move through the fiberous structure of a paper towel

Answer 7

Paper towels absorb liquid. To increase the amount of liquid absorbed, adding a texture will increase the surface area to proportionally increase absorption.

Answer 8

Because it has pores and is fibrous.

Answer 9

This process is called capillarity.