Science Fair Projects with Fabrics

What fabrics dry the fastest?

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CATEGORY: Consumer Science
STUDENT: Tasmiha
GRADE LEVEL: 11th (High School)
STATE / Country: Illinois, USA
AWARDS:Honorable Mention of the Virtural Summer Science Fair Contest - Super Science Fair Projects

Hypothesis - Science Fair Projects with Fabrics:
I believe that nylon will dry the fastest because it looks and feels the thinnest. Because of its thinness, the water would be absorbed less than cotton and polyester. The amount of water that is absorbed would eventually evaporate quicker than the other two cloths. We also believe that cotton would come in last because it quite seemingly is the thickest. Therefore, it absorbs more water and takes a longer time to evaporate and dry.

Experiment (Procedure) - Science Fair Projects with Fabrics:
I did the following steps in order to conduct my experiment:
1. Gather all materials.
2. Fill three bowls with water at the same room temperature.
3. Take three squares of cotton, nylon, and polyester, and dip each of them into the bucket, making sure that they are all in the same water temperature. Do this for twenty minutes. Stir them around a few times to ensure that they get thoroughly wet.
4. Take each cloth, one at a time, and hang each of them on the dry stand with clothespins, making sure that they are in the same room temperature. Make sure none of them are touching.
5. Record what time you hang each cloth.
6. Every ten minutes, check to see if any of the fabrics are dry yet. If any of them are, record the name of the fabric and the length of time it took to dry.
7. After the fabrics are dry, redo the experiment two more times for accuracy.

Materials - Science Fair Projects with Fabrics:
In order to conduct my experiment, I used the following materials:

Three bowls
Water
Same-sized squares of the following squares: polyester, cotton, and nylon; in different colors
Thermometer
Dry Stand
Clothespins
Notebook to record data
Timer

Data - Science Fair Projects with Fabrics:
(Minutes refer to the time the cloth took to dry)

	Trial 1	Trial 2	Trial 3	Trial 4
Polyester	17 Minutes	15 Minutes	16 Minutes	16 Minutes
Nylon	27 Minutes	28 Minutes	29 Minutes	28 Minutes
Cotton	44 Minutes	45 Minutes	46 Minutes	45 Minutes

Conclusion - Science Fair Projects with Fabrics:
My hypothesis was correct. I was really stunned to see that polyester would dry faster than nylon. The most challenging part of my experiment was to test each type of fabric and record the data accurately. From doing this experiment, I learned a lot about each type of fabric. Now, I know that when it’s a rainy day to wear clothes that don’t retain moisture such as cotton. Instead we should wear clothes that are more absorbent such as polyester, or nylon. However, polyester would make the best choice.

What I Would Do Differently Next Time:
If I were to do our experiment over, I would change quite a few things. First we would use more types of fabric, such as wool, and georgette. I could also change the room and water temperature. I would also try to figure out new techniques to measure the water and absorbency of the cloth for accuracy. These are just a few ways I would change my experiment. I really learned a lot about the fabrics and I enjoyed doing my experiment.

Other science fair projects with fabrics that you can do....
What fabrics are easiest to dye?
What fabrics insulat the best?
What fabrics absorb moisture the fastest?
What fabrics absorb the most moisture?
Does fabric softener affect drying time?

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What science fair projects can you think of that has to be with material or fabrics? How about which one breathes the best for hikers and mountain climbers?