Abstract

What Type of Wood Absorbs the Most Amount of Water? And Does Salt Water vs. Fresh Water Make a Difference in the Amount of Water Absorbed?

The purpose of this experiment was to find out how much water individual pieces of wood absorbed, and whether or not salt vs. fresh water made a difference in the results. To carry out this experiment two tubs were filled with water; one tub contained salt water and one tub fresh water. Twenty pieces of wood were cut to the same size of 6 inches by 3 inches by an inch. In total there were ten different kinds of wood (Maple, Oak, Black Walnut, Greenheart, Spruce, White Pine, Poplar, Cedar, Plywood, and particleboard), two pieces each type of wood. The woods were put in separate tubs, ten pieces of wood in each tub with only one kind of wood per tub. Every day for twenty days the woods were taken out individually and weighed on a scale. The weights were promptly recorded.

After completing this experiment, it was found that more water was absorbed into the woods when they were in fresh water. Poplar absorbed the most amount of water in both salt and fresh tubs, (Freshwater: 94.4 grams, 89% Saltwater: 79.1, 66%). Greenheart absorbed the least amount of water in both salt and fresh water tubs (Freshwater: 22.4 grams, 11% Saltwater: 20.7 grams, 10%). Out of the 10 pieces of wood used, Poplar absorbed the most amount of water both times, and Greenheart the least.