A thin pin of iron can be made to float on water (drinking) in a bowl. This phenomenon is due to the

A thin iron pin or needle can be made to rest on the surface of water due to surface tension, even though iron is denser than water and would normally sink due to buoyancy. Surface tension arises because water molecules at the surface experience a net inward cohesive force, causing the surface to behave like a stretched elastic membrane. This membrane-like property allows the surface to support small, light objects by denting slightly under their weight without breaking. The weight of the pin is balanced by the upward component of the surface tension forces acting along the line of contact. While water molecules are held together by polar covalent bonds and exhibit slight ionic character, these molecular structures are the underlying cause of the cohesive forces that manifest as surface tension rather than the direct reason for the floating phenomenon.