Drinking straw

A narrow tube used to draw liquid from a container into the mouth by suction. Its operation depends on lowering pressure inside the mouth so atmospheric pressure pushes liquid up the tube.

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Atmospheric pressure: The pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere on surfaces and fluids. Air pressure on the drink’s surface pushes liquid upward when mouth pressure falls.
Fluid dynamics: The study of how liquids and gases move and interact with forces. Straw flow is a small, familiar example of fluid motion through a tube.
Flexible drinking straw: A drinking straw with a bendable, often corrugated section near one end. Its joint lets users change the drinking angle without repositioning the container.
Sumer: An ancient civilization in southern Mesopotamia that flourished from the fourth millennium BCE. Sumerian imagery includes long tubes used to drink beer from shared vessels.
Single-use plastic: Plastic products designed to be used once or briefly before disposal. Many conventional straws are single-use items whose convenience creates persistent waste.
Suction: A pressure difference that draws material toward a region of lower pressure. Sipping lowers pressure inside the mouth and straw, moving liquid toward them.
Viscosity: A fluid’s resistance to deformation and flow. Thick drinks resist movement through narrow straws more than water does.
Reusable drinking straw: A drinking straw designed for repeated use, commonly made from metal, glass, or silicone. Durable materials allow repeated washing and use instead of single-use disposal.
Beer: An alcoholic beverage produced by fermenting sugars derived chiefly from cereal grains. Early drinking tubes are associated with consuming beer containing sediment.
Plastic pollution: The accumulation of plastic materials in the environment, where they can persist and cause harm. Discarded straws contribute to plastic pollution, though they are only one source.