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With mouth wide open, vibrating air coming up the throat from the vocal chords leaving the open mouth and spreading in all directions. Hi, I am Janice VanCleave, author of 50+ best-selling science experiment books for children ages 4 through high school. I taught science for 27 years and now am creating this science website.   My scream was not staged. The picture was to be of two adult cats, which I was holding. A microsecond before the camera snapped, the two cats dug their claws into my skin as they prepared to leap out of my arms. A picture like this is great for making inferences. Kids could make "guesses" as to why I am screaming. They would be drawing on facts from the photo, such as I look like I am in pain or maybe I am just pretending.

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Home » Rain Drop Formation

Rain Drop Formation

By Janice VanCleave

How do raindrop form?

One way that rain drops form is called accretion. This is the process by which cloud droplets (very tiny drops of liquid water forming clouds) combine forming larger drops. This happen when the drops bump into each as well as when they get very near each other.

Water molecules have an attraction for each other, so when they are near each other, they tend to draw together and combine. This attraction is called cohesion.

Discover for Yourself

cohesion

Place a 12-inch (30-cm) piece of wax paper on a flat, steady surface, such as a table. Dip your finger into a cup of tap water and allow 3 to 4 drops of water to drop on the paper about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Using a toothpick, move one of the water drops toward a second drop. Observe what happens when the drops get near each other. Repeat with the remaining water drops.

204 Sticky, Gloppy, Wacky and Wonderful Experiments

204 Sticky, Gloppy, Wacky and Wonderful Experiments

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Filed Under: Earth Science Tagged With: cohesion, raindrops

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