The Science Of Slipperiness

Published on 19 Mar 2025, 17:15

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We've all had an experience where soap has made a wet thing slippery, but...why?

LEARN MORE
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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:
- Surface tension: tendency of fluid surfaces to shrink into the minimum surface area possible
- Surfactants: chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension or interfacial tension between two liquids, a liquid and a gas, or a liquid and a solid
- Amphiphilic: having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic parts
- Hydrophilic: having an affinity or attraction towards water molecules
- Hydrophobic: tending to be repelled by water molecules

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CREDITS
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Kate Yoshida | Script Writer, Narrator and Director
Cameron Duke | Director
Lizah van der Aart | Storyboard Artist
Sarah Berman | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation
Arcadi Garcia i Rius | Animation
Nathaniel Schroeder | Music

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Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke
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REFERENCES
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Anzelc, M., Burkhart, C. N., Black, C. (2022). Preliminary Observations on Soaps Increasing Slipperiness and Bathroom Injuries. The Open Dermatology Journal (1). doi.org/10.2174/18743722-v16-e...

Preston, W. C., & Richardson, A. S. (2002). The surface properties of soap solutions. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 33(8), 1142-1150. doi.org/10.1021/j150302a003