Dr Jennifer Cleary shows RTÉ 2fm's Aifric O’Connell a clever way of making a pretty star out of toothpicks without ever touching them.
Throughout Science Week, Dr Cleary is impressing a number of 2fm DJs with a series of fun science experiments.
The science behind the trick ... explained
When you put the drops of water on the star formation you may think that the water is just pushing the toothpicks into position. This is not what is happening. The toothpicks are actually absorbing the water due to capillary action.
Capillaries are tiny tubes within the wood that draw water along the length of the toothpick.
As the toothpicks absorb the water, they start to swell and expand and straighten. This pushes the toothpicks away from each other and causes them to form a star shape.
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