Everyday Engineering: An absorbing look at terry-cloth towels

by: Richard Moyer and Susan Everett

This article describes a lesson where students explore the absorbency of several towels with different weaves and weights. The lesson follows the 5E learning-cycle model and incorporates engineering in the sense of product testing with a focus on the relationship between the weave of a towel and its absorbency. The National Science Education Standards indicate that middle-level students should understand “a substance has characteristic properties, such as density, boiling point, and solubility” (NRC 1996).

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Type Journal ArticlePub Date 9/1/2010Stock # ss10_034_01_70Volume 034Issue 01

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