Nerdy Science

   I find experiments fun. Do you?

   Yesterday, my dad and I performed an experiment showing how the water table works. If you don't know what the water table is, it is the line between water saturated soil and soil that is not saturated with water. (Nerdy nerdy).  I was so fascinated that I watched the water drop down until the last drop drops. I was not able to take pictures of what you need or every step, but I was able to take some! I hope it helps.

Source: here

Let's go!

   WHAT YOU NEED: 

A empty gallon of water

A cutter

Rags

Stones

Soil

A pail

A tool where you can scoop soil with

Water

STEPS (some with pictures, some without): 

1. Cut the empty gallon of water in half using the cutter. 

2. Make the top half upside down and put it over the bottom half. 

3. Get the rags and place them in the top half container. Press down, so that it is compressed a bit. 

4. Place stones on the rags. 

5. Scoop soil with the tool-you-can-scoop-soil-with and place it on top of the stones. Make sure you put quite a lot! It's fine if you compress it or not. :-)

6. Pour water with the pail into the container and watch! It may take a while before the water drips from the bottom opening, but I assure you that you will be fascinated. (Like me!) 

   This experiment basically shows how the water table works. Water seeps into the soil, passes through several layers, and gets filtered! The less water that seeps into the soil, the deeper the water table. The more water that seeps into the soil, the water table gets shallower! 

   The water is actually groundwater, which is the biggest source of freshwater we have. This is the reason why we shouldn't throw chemicals or gasoline into the soil because it can affect us! It's difficult to trace back the source of the chemicals. 

   Now that we know about groundwater and the chemicals that can seep into it, we all should be mindful of the things we toss on the ground. It might contain something that can pollute the ground water. Better yet, we should all try to not dispose trash on land! We should toss trash in the trash bin instead.  From now on, I will get rid of what I need to dispose in their respective places.  Will you?