Composition Cork material will fall apart if it gets wet after it has been installed. The natural wax like content of cork, which is a substance called suberin, protects it from rotting or decomposition, even if it is submerged in water for long periods of time.

Wood, cork, and ice float in water because they are less dense than water. It floats because it weighs less than amount of water it would have to push out of the glass if it sank. Wood, cork, and ice are all less dense than water, and they float; rocks are more dense, so they sink.

In a partially filled glass, the surface is higher at the edges than it is in the centre (a negative meniscus). When the meniscus is negative, the forces acting on the cork cause it to “stick” to the side of the glass. The forces acting on the cork will now force it to float in the centre of the glass.

When the glass is brimful filled with water, the surface tension and the cohesive forces between the water molecules form a film on the surface of the water, making it possible to fill the glass more than full. The highest level of the meniscus is now in the center of the glass, which is where the cork will float.

Learning to make corks that will slowly sink with 1/32-ounce jigs is easy, he said. Just keep a bucket of water and some line on a jig handy, and test the cork for buoyancy as it is ground down. After making a few, sizing them becomes almost instinctive.

If you compared the weight of wood and an equal amount, or volume, of water the sample of wood would weigh less than the sample of water. This means that wood is less dense than water. Since wood is less dense than water, wood floats in water, no matter how big or small the piece of wood is.

True, it is heavier than water, i.e. its density is more than that of water. so it settels down.

Vinegar is a polar substance, and its molecules are attracted to water molecules (called “hydrophilic”). Therefore, it can be mixed with water. It does not technically dissolve; rather, it forms a homogeneous solution with water.

When we mix sand and water, no reaction takes place. The sand simply settles down at the bottom of the water container. This is because sand is heavier than water and hence cannot float in water. Sand causes no such changes in the quality of water.

When exposed to vinegar, which is an acid, the calcium carbonate-containing sand produces CO2 bubbles as it dissolves.

Sugar and sand are dissolved in water. If the mixture is filtered, remains as residue.

When the vinegar is dropped on the powdered sugar, a reaction does not occur. Vinegar and baking soda create a chemical reaction, and it will fizz and bubble as carbon dioxide gas is formed.

Drop a few drops of vinegar onto the sand and observe what happens. The acid of the vinegar reacts with the calcium carbonate in the grains of sand which creates CO2 bubbles as it dissolves.

Experiment

• Fill a cup 3/4 full with water.
• Slowly pour Magic Sand in a continuous stream into the water. Look closely at the sand. What is that silver-like coating on the sand?
• Pour off the water from the sand into a second container. Touch the sand and see what you find. To your amazement, the sand is completely dry!

Sidewalk chalk contains a compound called calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which reacts with vinegar (acetic acid, CH3COOH) to form the gas carbon dioxide (CO2). When the chalk is broken up, more surface area is created on the small pieces for the reaction to occur.

Start with sugar in ethanol or isopropanol (rubbing alcohol), then add water to dissolve. For fast dissolution, use confectioners sugar.

Under normal conditions, silicon does not react with most acids but is dissolved by hydrofluoric acid.

Dissolve the flour by stirring it together with a bit of cool water in a small bowl or cup. Use a fork and stir quickly until you have a very thin slurry the texture of cream. The rule of thumb for figuring quantities is to use about 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken each cup of liquid.

Slip the end of the plumbing snake into the drain pipe. Extend the snake until it hits the clog. Push into the clog until you feel it break through. Move the snake around a little to break up the sides of the debris, then use the pressure washer to force the particles out the other end.

Baking Soda and Vinegar First, remove the drain cover and pour a cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by a cup of vinegar to begin a chemical reaction. Let this mixture sit for between twenty minutes and half an hour so that the solution has time to break down the natural minerals blocking your drain.

• Best Overall: Drano Max Gel Clog Remover.
• Best for Shower: Pequa Drain Opener.
• Best for Sink: Rockwell Invade Bio Drain Gel.
• Best for Septic System: Bio-Clean Drain Septic Bacteria.
• Best for Garbage Disposal: Green Gobbler Refresh Drain & Disposal Deodorizer.
• Best for Hair: Instant Power Hair and Grease Drain Cleaner.

If you have dirt coming up any drain, in particular the floor drain, it may be caused by a break in your sewer line, possibly by roots. Call a professional immediately. A camera inspection performed before clearing the drain will only reveal that there is a clog of some sort.

If your toilets, kitchen sink and tub or shower are all backed up, you probably have a clogged sewer line. When your sewer line is clogged, the water can’t go down the drain. Instead, it flows back up the pipes and comes out at the lowest point — usually the shower drain.

The “creepy black stuff” in your drain is made up of a combination of things, mostly decomposing hair, soap scum, toothpaste grit, shaving cream residue, skin cells, etc.

Pour 1 cup of baking soda into the drain. The baking soda will deodorize and clean the drains while working as a nonabrasive agent that will break up the black sludge. Pour into the drain and let sit for a few minutes.

The visible white buildup is calcification from the minerals in hard water. Aside from looking ugly, this calcite will start to coat the inside of your pipes, which will restrict water flow and start to raise the pressure within the plumbing until it erupts into leaking.

An auger — also known as a plumbing snake — or flat sewer rod can clear blockages deep in drain lines. Chemical drain cleaners contain a high concentration of lye, bleach or sulfuric acid to soften and break up clogs.

Steps:

1. Boil a pot of water.
2. Pour ½ cup of vinegar and ½ cup of baking soda into the drain.
3. Put cleaning rag over the top of the drain to cover it.
4. Wait 5 minutes or so while the mixture eats away at the buildup.
5. Remove rag; pour boiling water into the drain.
6. Put some vinegar on the sponge and wipe down the drain fixture.