Magic Sand

Most adults know magic sand from their childhood and it is still a popular addition to children's newspapers today. Magic sand is basically normal sand that has been given a water-repellent surface thanks to a special coating. For a while, magic sand was even used to combat oil spills. The oil combined with the magic sand, became heavier and sank. This quickly gave clean beaches again, but it wasn't really environmentally friendly to send all the oil to the seabed.
In this experiment we want to take advantage of the fact that the water-repellent properties of magic sand cause a layer of air to form around the sand, meaning you can dip something into the water without it getting wet.

Materials you need for this experiment:

How to make the experiment:

	Fill the glass with water and carefully pour some magic sand onto the surface of the water.
	Ideally, the entire surface of the water should be covered with magic sand.
	Now put your finger in the middle of the magic sand in the water.
	Be careful not to submerge too deeply because the edges of the magic sand still need to be on the surface of the water for it to work.
	When you then pull the finger out again, it is still dry because the magic sand has created a layer of air around the finger.

What happens if you try to immerse a sharp object? Does it still work? How large objects can you submerge in this way without getting wet?

Have fun experimenting!