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Pudong Grade 3：From Diapers to Polymers!

April 26, 2018

Pudong Grade 3：From Diapers to Polymers!

On April 23rd, scientists from Dow Chemical led the third graders of Pudong Campus on a journey exploring the secret world of diapers.

First, one of the scientists showed the students a little magic. She made the water in a cup disappear! While the students were thinking about what was going on, the scientist introduced SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), which is a synthetic resin with super water absorbent and release ability. SAP is the main reason why diapers can absorb so much liquid.

After learning some basic background knowledge about SAP, the students started their own experiments. They dissected some diapers by first taking the cotton out, then they shook up the cotton pieces to get the SAP to dislodge itself from the cotton. They followed the experiment steps and made their own ‘magic’.

At the end of the activity, they sprinkled some salt on the polymer to release the water. The students learned about sophisticated chemical reactions from this fun experiment. They not only learned about some interesting pieces of scientific knowledge, but also got to realize that science is fun! It turned out that the magic trick wasn’t magic after all…it was science!

(Written by Haoruo Li Pictures by Haoruo Li)