Page 1 of 1
How Weird is Water?
Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 10:12 am
by peter
Water is pretty weird stuff. It does that 4 degrees C. thing - as far as I'm aware the only stuff in existance that has its highest density above it's freezing point (or something). It's like, all joined together into one great big 'super-molecule' because of its [unique?] distribution of charge. It has 'surface tension' that relates also to the polar nature of the water molecule (question; If there was no such thing as surface tension, how different would the world be; could beings like us be around. Would there be a world or hell [why think small], even a universe?].
And then you get into the difficult stuff - the 'on the edges' stuff that nobodies quite happy with, but it won't seem to go away. Like memory. Does water have memory. The homeopaths. The cold wate fusionists. The supernaturists (I love that). These guys clearly think it does. And wtf is 'water memory' anyway?
Water - ya gotta love it, but there's no getting away from it. It's weird!
Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 10:18 am
by peter
[If you didn't have surface tension could you, for example, arrange for water to flow/fall in great big columns [is there a n or a b in columb?] like the entrance to an ancient Greek temple?]
Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 12:01 pm
by Fist and Faith
I guess if you didn't have the surface tension, there wouldn't be water at all. Not like you could have all the other properties without that one. It would mean the molecule was very different.
Because of the fact that you mentioned, that water is more dense in its liquid form than its solid form, ice floats. Many of Earth's ecosystems would not exist if not for this. The surface freezes, but life goes on below it, waiting for the spring thaw.
Re: How Weird is Water?
Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 4:28 pm
by Vraith
peter wrote:Water is pretty weird stuff. It does that 4 degrees C. thing - as far as I'm aware the only stuff in existance that has its highest density above it's freezing point (or something). It's like, all joined together into one great big 'super-molecule' because of its [unique?] distribution of charge. It has 'surface tension' that relates also to the polar nature of the water molecule (question; If there was no such thing as surface tension, how different would the world be; could beings like us be around. Would there be a world or hell [why think small], even a universe?].
And then you get into the difficult stuff - the 'on the edges' stuff that nobodies quite happy with, but it won't seem to go away. Like memory. Does water have memory. The homeopaths. The cold wate fusionists. The supernaturists (I love that). These guys clearly think it does. And wtf is 'water memory' anyway?
Water - ya gotta love it, but there's no getting away from it. It's weird!
On the first...not really true. Several elements do that, and chemical compounds, too.
The polar stuff/hydrogen bonding is really responsible for almost all it more unusual properties...but I don't think any of them are unique.
It's just there is so MUCH H20 around, and most of the others that have similar properties are relatively rare.
I don't know anything about "water memory"...it sounds like pure fantasy to me.
But if you want to spin a web of fantasy/mystic strangeness...you might like to know: organics like protein and nucleic acids [including DNA] owe parts of their structure and function to hydrogen bonding....
[[on the "what would happen without surface tension"...the only thing I can say for sure is there would/could be nothing like us. Cuz that would mean fundamental elements [like hydrogen, and oxygen] didn't exist in any form resembling what they are now. The universe would be made of different stuff...which oddly adjoins and implication in something I was saying elsewhere...I think eventually [and pretty soon in simple/small ways] we'll be able to create different stuff.]]
Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 9:29 am
by peter
It will probably still sound like pure fantasy V., but for what it's worth:-
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_memory
[added on the maxim of trying everything once exepting incest and tap-dancing {What have they got against incest anyway?}]