How Strong Is Your Hair?

strength of hair image for activity

Introduction

Have you ever wondered how strong hair is? When we talk about our hair we usually discuss color, length or texture. But what about hair strength? If you look at a strand of hair, it looks like a very thin string. In fact, it is on average only about 0.1 millimeters thick. It doesn't seem like such a thin string could withstand much force. How much weight do you think a single strand of hair can carry? In this activity you will put a hair to the test and find out. You might be surprised by your results!

Credits

Materials

• At least one hair strand (at least 5 centimeters long). This can be collected from a brush or comb or elsewhere.
• Pencil
• Two stacks of books or two same-sized boxes
• Paper clip
• Tape
• Small plastic bag
• Small items to use as weights (such as pennies, marbles, etcetera)
• Scale
• Optional: additional strands of hair—including some from different people