Baby diaper science

Grab a diaper and dissect it to discover a special ingredient that keeps babies dry.

Materials

• Baby diaper
• Resealable bag

Instructions

STEP 1: Remove all of the cotton from the inside of the diaper and place the cotton into the resealable bag.

STEP 2: From the outside use your fingers to tear the cotton into pieces and then with the resealable bag closed shake the bag for a few minutes.

STEP 3: Remove the cotton from the resealable bag and at the bottom you will discover what looks like powder.

Explanation

The powder is called a superabsorbent polymer.

These polymers act as tiny sponges and can absorb hundreds of times their weight in water.

Jason Lindsey is a Science Outreach Educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website "Hooked On Science" at hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science.

Send him your science questions at jlindsey@hookedonscience.org. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.