Suck It Up - Wicking

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Hook
In this activity you will investigate the "wicking capacity " of fabric; that is how well various fabrics draw water ["perspiration"] away from the body and let it vent to the outside. This is very important to staying warm in the chilly climate of Antarctica!

Materials

• obtain samples of 16 different types of material
• incubator at 37° C
• balance
• elastic bands
• ruler
• eye dropper

Procedure
Your task is to see which of the materials given will provide the best wicking capacity. Your goals are

• brainstorm to establish what is met by wicking and why it must be looked at in designing insulated underwear.
• design possible experiments to measure the wicking capacity of various material types.
• carry out experiments to test the wicking capacity of various materials.
• arrive at a consensus as to which material has the best wicking capacity and why?

Discussions Questions/Extensions ......
Explain how the data presented in the graphs show which is the best material to be used for wicking.

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