Napkins

Napkins. They seem pretty simple, not too many "parts." They have components though. If you can tell by now the structure I am analyzing is the napkin. A napkin is "a square piece of cloth or paper used at a meal to wipe the fingers or lips and to protect garments, or to serve food on" according to the dictionary on my MacBook Pro.

The first length scale is the napkin (which has dimensions of 6.25 by 4.5 inches and a depth of maybe 2 millimeters). The next length scale is the layers of the napkin (the napkin has three layers 6.25 by 4.5 inches, 6.25 by 3.5 inches, and 6.25 by 3.5 inches). The final length scale is the dimples in the napkin (maybe like 2 millimeter squares).

This idea was spurred as I was eating lunch at Hill with some friends. I was trying to think of something to analyze for this blog and the structure was literally in my hand. It's so simple, but still can be measured with different length scales. Sure a napkin, may be less impressive than a building, bricks, and mortar, but it can be analyzed in the same way. I saw the napkin while eating an orange. I discovered it could be measured with different scales as I thought about it. I analyzed the various components of a napkin and described it's physical characteristics.

A napkin has to be able to absorb things like water. It can't be too thick though, then it would be a sponge. It has to be soft enough for a person to wipe their mouth with. It can't be rough like sandpaper. It has to have layers for the absorption to work. It can't be too large or too heavy. It can't be like a towel. It has to be durable, more so than a tissue. Sometimes people use napkins to wipe tables. The individual dimples in the napkin work to improve the absorption and increase the 3-D surface area to absorb more liquid.