ShmoopTube

00:03

Here's an unshmoopy question you'll find on a exam somewhere in life...

00:06

You'll want to pause and review this passage. Well... you may not want to... but you should.

00:24

Why is the filter paper effective at removing sand from the water?

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And here are the potential answers...

00:35

So... what's this question asking?

00:37

Basically, we want to figure out why filter paper works for separating sand from water.

00:41

As long as we can keep it from getting in between our toes.

00:46

We can get rid of option D, because filter paper is effective at removing sand from water.

00:53

Sand particles are too big to pass through the filter paper.

00:57

We can cross off option A, too.

00:59

We don't even have to read any of the passage to know that one's wrong.

01:02

If water molecules were bigger than sand molecules,

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why would the water molecules have the ability to pass, but not the smaller sand bits?

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It'd be like saying a basketball can fit in the trashcan, but a golf ball can't.

01:14

Doesn't make sense.

01:17

Anybody who's been to the beach should be able to pick

01:19

the right answer from among the last two options.

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If not, then we suggest a well-deserved vacation to Southern California... after the test, of course.

01:27

Those who are beach aficionados will know that sand somehow gets everywhere...

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and sticks to everything... including paper.

01:35

Sand most certainly will stick to the filter, so we can get rid of B.

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And that leaves us with C... which is the correct answer.

01:42

Looks like going to the beach does pay off on test day.

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