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007 asked in Science & MathematicsChemistry · 1 decade ago

Mystery of the one way holes?

If you wrap a swatch of cheesecloth over a jar and pour water through the cloth and into the jar, and turn the jar over, the water doesn't escape. Can you solve the mystery of the one way holes.

5 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    When you pour into the jar via the cloth, air from the jar can still escape through the jar's mouth beside where the water flowed.

    But when you turn the jar upside down, Outside air pressure pushes the water up. The outside air cannot go around the plug of water to push the jar's water down. Even if there's air inside the jar, there's less of it than the amount of air outside the jar, so pressure from the outside air is larger.

  • 1 decade ago

    What is happening is in order for the water to pass through the cheese cloth air must pass through it in the upward direction to fill the void space left behind in the jar. The high surface tension in the water reinforced by the cloth will not allow the air to pass.

  • 1 decade ago

    the act of water going through the cloth sets up a vacuum which makes the holes "one way"

  • 1 decade ago

    Air can't get in so the water can't get out.

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  • 1 decade ago

    pressure will be more out,,as your liquid protected from air entrance

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