Learn super fun magic: Make coins float on the water

With just a little trick, you can make your friends "round eyes" in surprise.

The coins in the world are all made of metal. But already metal, of course, cannot float on the water, because the metal has a much higher specific gravity than water. And this is definitely true!

However, take a look at the following image, and you'll see something "wrong".

Why can metal coins float on water?

This is a real coin made of metal, and the water here is also real water. So why can a coin float on water? What's the secret here .

The truth is we still have tips to make this a reality. And what you need to prepare for this magic show is a full bowl of water, along with a few Japanese 1-yen coins.

Why is it 1 yen and not another currency? The reason is that Japanese 1 yen copper is completely cast from aluminum , not mixed with zinc or copper. This makes them significantly lighter in weight than other coins. For example, if compared, the 1 yen coin is about 2.5 times lighter than the US 1 cent.

But if it's simple, then when you drop the coins into the bowl, they will quickly sink to the bottom.

If it's normal, when you drop coins into a basin, the coin will sink to the bottom.

The trick here is to use more paper clips . The steps are as follows:

First, turn the inside of the paper clip upside down to form an L shape.

Place a 1 yen copper balance on the larger side of the paper clip, while the small side acts as a handle.

Next, gently use a paper clip to dip the coin into the water like this.

Carefully pull out the paper clip, and the interesting thing appears!

The coin floated on the water.

Explain the phenomenon

The mysterious force keeps the coin afloat and causes the surrounding water surface to be recessed called "surface tension".

The tension is formed by the mutual attraction of water molecules in the top position, causing the water surface to have a thin film covering.

This membrane is durable enough to support the weight of aluminum coins without being penetrated.

The thin coating covered the weight of the aluminum coin without being penetrated.

You can even float multiple coins at the same time as long as there is enough room, but it needs to be softened because the balance is very fragile. With only a slight pressure, the water membrane immediately breaks down and the coins sink.

You can even float multiple coins at the same time as long as there is enough room.

With the same trick you can float paper clips, paper pins, sewing needles, and iron tapes , even if the specific gravity of iron is three times heavier than aluminum.

And there's a little game

If everyone around has known the tricks and wants to try it out, the next trick will make them have to "scratch their heads" because there's no way they can make these things float.

Sneak a little bit of soap into the bowl of water when nobody notices , the soap molecule weakens the attraction between water molecules, leading to surface tension disappearing. That means nothing can support the weight of a coin or paper clip.

Pouring the soap in will cause the surface tension to disappear, you won't be able to make anything.

At that time, you could chuckle and look at people who, despite trying as much or as carefully as possible, could not make the magic you did.