What is Liquid: Definition and 1000 Discussions

A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. As such, it is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, gas, and plasma), and is the only state with a definite volume but no fixed shape. A liquid is made up of tiny vibrating particles of matter, such as atoms, held together by intermolecular bonds. Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container. Most liquids resist compression, although others can be compressed. Unlike a gas, a liquid does not disperse to fill every space of a container, and maintains a fairly constant density. A distinctive property of the liquid state is surface tension, leading to wetting phenomena. Water is, by far, the most common liquid on Earth.
The density of a liquid is usually close to that of a solid, and much higher than in a gas. Therefore, liquid and solid are both termed condensed matter. On the other hand, as liquids and gases share the ability to flow, they are both called fluids. Although liquid water is abundant on Earth, this state of matter is actually the least common in the known universe, because liquids require a relatively narrow temperature/pressure range to exist. Most known matter in the universe is in gaseous form (with traces of detectable solid matter) as interstellar clouds or in plasma from within stars.

View More On Wikipedia.org
Recent contents Top users
  1. M

    Explanation of Rayleighs work on vibrations of liquid droplets

    Hi, I'm trying to calculate the vibrational energy of a water droplet for a given vibrational amplitude. Rayleigh wrote about this in Proc. R. Soc. Lond., volume 29, 1879, "On the Capillary Phenomena of Jets", Appendix II, but he makes some simplifications (as I understand it) and I also...
  2. W

    Liquid CO2 rivers, lakes or oceans

    Lets say you have planet with 2 Earth radii and 8 Earth masses. The atmosphere is 50 bar and is made up of 85% nitrogen, 10% hydrogen 3% argon, 1% CO2 and 1% other gases. The planets average temperature is 280 K/44 F. Since CO2 is a liquid at this pressure and temperature would it form rivers...
  3. E

    Thermodynamics,subcooled liquid

    hi all, i need to know what relation should i used for subcooled liquid, for example,a rigid tank is filled with water,as its temp is increased its pressure is increased.if i know the initial conditions and final temperature.how should i find out final pressure. i have seen in thermodynamic...
  4. M

    Liquid oscillating in a U-tube

    Homework Statement A U-tube has vertical arms of radii r and 2r, connected by a horizontal tube of length l whose radius increases linearly from r to 2r. The U-tube contains liquid up to a height h in each arm. The liquid is set oscillating, and at a given instant the liquid in the narrower...
  5. madmike159

    Calculate pressure of pumped liquid

    I have a enclosed system for cooling bearing housings with oil. I need to calculate the rough pressure that will be produced when the oil pump is switched on. The oil will be pumped from a small tank, through the system and back into the tank. Pipe diameter = 10.8mm Pipe length = aprox 2m...
  6. steves1080

    What is the boil-off rate of a saturated cryo liquid inside a vessel?

    Note: this is not a homework question; this is strictly conceptual in understanding the equations at work in this scenario. The tank is vacuum-insulated, the liquid is saturated, and the vents have just been opened in order to vent down the ullage pressure. My question is simply how do you...
  7. D

    What happens when tube is immersed in a liquid?

    Homework Statement A tube of length L=1 m closed at its upper end is immerged vertically, with its openend, in water by a distance l=27 cm. The atmospherical pressure is the normal one. Find the length of the water column that enters the tube. Consider the process isothermal. Homework...
  8. 2

    Liquid pressure in microgravity

    Homework Statement This is more of a conceptual question rather than a homework problem. This is my first post, so apologies if this is in the wrong section. Consider a jar full of liquid in microgravity. My book says: According to the formula p = ρgh, p→0 as g→0. Thus there is no...
  9. B

    Why does water pressure remain constant when a cube is inserted into it?

    i have been studying pressure and hydrostatics and i stumbled upon this now imagine a container filled with water , and there is a cube in the water now i know that the weight of the displaced water = the upthrust force but what bothers me is , how is the water pressure at a certain level...
  10. O

    Why magnet can attract liquid oxygen but not aluminium?both paramagnet

    A magnet only attract ferromagnetic material because they have magnetic domains which will align to form magnetic dipole when external magnetic field applied. Paramagnet don't have domains. Due to the presence of some unpaired electron, they will cause the realignment of the electron path when...
  11. M

    Floating and Sinking in a Liquid

    This seems to be a relatively simple question, yet I'm not sure of the answer. A balloon filled with helium gas floats in air. If I submerged a balloon or container in a liquid (e.g. water), is there a liquid with which I can fill the container so as to make it float to the surface. What kind...
  12. Spinnor

    Damp dirt under great, sudden, pressure, acts like liquid?

    I was digging a trench next to a building today so rain water would not back up to the buildings wall. Most of the material was soil but there were some large chunks of concrete. The largest chunk of concrete that was too heavy to move was pryed up and supported on the left and right sides with...
  13. M

    Calculate forces acting on liquid film

    Dear all fellow physicists, I am struggling with the following fluid mechanics problem: considering a liquid film in an "equilibrium" position between two plane walls, I am trying to define the forces acting on the liquid. Most importantly, gravity is pulling down on the liquid with Fg = m* g...
  14. T

    Why does pressure in liquid not dependent on the surface area?

    is it because that pressure in liquid acts in all directions?
  15. Saitama

    Cylinders filled with liquid; placed on a trolley

    Homework Statement Two cylinder shaped vessels of cross section A are fixed vertically to a trolley, which was initially at rest. The two vessels are connected with a thin horizontal tube which is equipped with a tap. The distance between the axes of the vessels is L. The vessel in the left...
  16. W

    Using what Liquid gas to cool TYPE I Superconductors?

    So, Liquid Nitrogen or Liquid Helium to cool Type I(Lead/Aluminum) superconductor? I know its best to use Liquid Helium, but can I use Liquid Nitrogen and go below the BC of those materials?
  17. R

    Liquid Cooled Heat Exchanger Verification

    My friend and I are trying to design a simple liquid-cooled heat exchanger and I'm getting some odd results so I wanted to get another set of eyes on my math here. We're running four 1.5m sections of nylon tube in parallel through the heat source, which was a thermal input of 265W. The cooling...
  18. A

    How do you find the density of a liquid with a submerged block?

    Homework Statement A block has a density of 8.90 g/cm^3 and has an apparent mass of 120g in water and 116g when submerged in a liquid. What is the density of the liquid?Homework Equations m/(m-mapparent) = p/pliquidThe Attempt at a Solution Nevermind.
  19. Saitama

    Surface tension - liquid rising in capillary tube

    Homework Statement Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Honestly, I don't have any idea on this. As far as I remember, the usual practice is to equate the excess pressure equal to ##2T/R## (where T is the surface tension and R is the radius of curvature, this may be wrong...
  20. J

    Complicated liquid to vapor conversion problem

    I had a question about the volume of vapor produced from an amount of liquid after increasing the pressure inside a container containing the liquid, then rapidly decreasing it back to the original pressure. Say you have an amount of water, say 1mL (or another liquid, not sure what descriptors...
  21. J

    Glass is Solid, Not Liquid: Urban Legend Debunked

    Since my high school days, I learned that glass is a liquid. (Science naive students thought glass is solid, and the smarty pants knew it was actually a liquid:) Yesterday, while I was telling this interesting fact to my daughter, my wife argued that glass is solid. I googled to explain them why...
  22. W

    Has Luttinger liquid been experimentally confirmed?

    it seems that there is no definite proof in experiment ?
  23. N

    Why symmetry breaking a paradigm whilst not describing Fermi liquid?

    Hi! So I'm a bit confused: first off, does Fermi liquid theory have "order". I suppose it depends on how you define order. But in case it does, is it described by symmetry breaking? From what I read, I think it does have order which is not described by symmetry breaking. But then I have...
  24. N

    Optics & Thin Glass in Liquid: Distance d & Image on Screen

    I have one question about optics because I start interested in it. If an object is placed a distance p from a thin glass lens (index of refraction n), we can see its image on a screen that is placed a distance d from the lens. Do you know any formula which can describe this situacion? I found...
  25. P

    Tank filled with liquid, help?

    Homework Statement A tank is filled to the depth h1 with a liquid with mass density p Over the liquid surface is an atmospheric pressure po. From the bottom of the tank there`s a tube with cross-sectional area of ​​S. Tube expands to double cross-sectional area 2S while bending up to the...
  26. S

    Can a Floor Pad Detect Liquid with Just One Drop?

    Hey all, For a school project, I am trying to design a pad (placed on the floor) which can detect liquid and make a loud buzzing sound immediately upon the detection of the liquids. Any ideas?
  27. R

    What is the air-fuel ratio for liquid petrol

    I've been wondering this for a while, I can't figure it out though, it's easy enough for figure it out for petrol vapour, but the problem is with liquids when Googling it, the ratio 14.7:1 is common, but it seems as if that's for pure Octane. if someone could also include the method of...
  28. D

    Amount of CO2 vaporized in a phase change from liquid to solid & vapor

    Homework Statement Saturated liquid CO2 is at T= 293 K and P=5.72*10^6 Pa and undergoes throttling to P=1.01*10^5. The resulting solid and vapor mixture is at T = 195 K. What fraction of the carbon dioxide is vaporized? (The enthalpy of the saturated liquid in the initial state is 24,200...
  29. S

    Liquid Armor: Non-Newtonian Protection from Stabbing & Blunt Force

    Hello, recently saw video demonstrating newly developed armor based on non Newtonian liquid. Such armor is being still researched but is very promising, flexible, lightweight and can stop even heavy stabs with sharp pricker, maybe even bullets. Liquid armor itself is based on two components -...
  30. T

    Is there a way to create visible/ liquid energy?

    Is there a way to create visible/"liquid" energy? Probably a more low-brow topic than you're used to but I have plenty of gadgets, materials and tools at my disposal and I wish to improve the quality of some replicas I've made. A common denominator of any sci-fi gizmo is the glowing energy...
  31. W

    Liquid that changes color back and forth.

    I remember seeing a liquid that changes color when you shake it and then changes back to it's original color when it settles. Does anyone know what reaction this is? I would like to do it for a school project. Also, does this last forever, or will it eventually stop? If this does not work, does...
  32. 2

    What is the time constant to evaporate a liquid

    I have a liquid that is stored at pressure. This liquid is then released to a lower pressure where it should become a gas. The problem is how long does it take for the liquid to turn to gas. There must be some delay - even a very small one - but how to calculate it. Example - a jet of...
  33. L

    Measuring liquid density using upthrust

    Hi, I brew beer and part of the process is measuring the specific gravity of the fermenting liquid. This is done visually using a hydrometer. Digital hydrometers are available and very expensive. I'm trying to come up with a way to measure the liquid specific gravity electronically. Typical...
  34. C

    Transparent Liquid Piezoelectric Material?

    Hi All, I'm wondering if anyone is aware of a piezoelectric material that is both liquid and is transparent/colorless/ lower refractive index? Is there database online where I could compare these values? Google has not been kind to me:( Any help would be so appreciated.
  35. A

    Why does the surafce of a liquid act as a stretched membrane?

    Dont give me the answer that its because of surface tension. I want it in detail.
  36. J

    Monte Carlo Simulation of a liquid - Need help computing g(r)

    EDIT: I'm not in my sharpest moment. I just found a bunch of posts that discuss this. I'll read them and update this post if I find an answer. I'm working on a hard-sphere MC simulation (for a class). I want to compute the radial distribution function g(r). To put you in context, as to my...
  37. R

    Measuring CO2 Solubility in Various Liquids: Experimental Setup Suggestions

    I have a few liquids and I want to determine the solubility of CO2 in each of these liquids. How can I set up an experiment to do so? Put the liquids through a CO2 environment and weigh the difference? Set up an upside-down glass tube (like a mercury barometer) with a CO2 bubble and see how...
  38. mathmaniac1

    MHB Can You Prove Equal Proportions in a Liquid Mixture?

    Three tablespoons of milk from a glass of milk are poured into a glass of tea, and the liquid is thoroughly mixed. Then three tablespoons of this mixture are poured back into the glass of milk. Which is greater now: the percentage of milk in the tea or the percentage of tea in the milk?
  39. J

    Infrared Heat Mat - Will it warm up liquid (mostly water)?

    Hi everyone! I am looking for a solution to heat up photo chemicals (I'm doing darkroom printing in a cold garage). I need the chemicals to remain at a fairly steady 20 degrees C, whilst the air temperature is significantly lower (e.g. 7 degrees). My question is whether or not an infrared...
  40. H

    Force Of Gas In Liquid And Gravity

    This question isn't homework but rather a personal project I am working on, I need the following information please: In the measure of how light elements in the form of gas or other, behave in water or other liquids Pulling force that the Oxygen has in water as it rises to the surface...
  41. A

    Contact angle of liquid drop on solid surface.2

    Can anyone explain point 44 of the attached pdf document on surface tension. (Here's the link in case attachment doesn't work: http://www.sakshieducation.com/EAMCET/QR/Physics/Jr%20Phy/12Surface%20tension%20_198-208_.pdf How is the surface tension direction found out? {i know it...
  42. S

    Liquid rocket gas generator question

    I am building a liquid fueled rocket engine driven gas generator. I plan to use gasoline for fuel and oxygen gas at a rate of .022lb/sec and O2 at .055lb/sec The chamber is 2.15 in long 1.15 in id with a .238 nozzle. The chamber pressure should be 300 psi with a thrust of 20 pounds. I calculate...
  43. W

    Calculating Work for Pumping Liquid in a Vertical Cylindrical Tank

    Homework Statement A vertical right circular cylindrical tank measures 32 feet high and 8 feet in diameter. It is full of liquid weighing 62.4 lb / ft^3 How much work does it take to pump the liquid to the level of the top of the tank? Homework Equations h=32 d=8 (radius = 4) liquid...
  44. V

    Heating liquid using wire coils

    I'm trying to make ferrofluid according to this guide: http://www.sci-spot.com/Chemistry/liqimag.htm and in step 5 I need to heat the solution to near boiling but I don't have access to a bunsen burner or heating plate. Also I can't do this in the kitchen because this heating is to remove...
  45. J

    Finger on the top of the straw, keeping the liquid in

    So i realize that by putting your thumb over the top of the straw, your eliminating the air pressure from the top. But why doesn't the liquid still fall out the bottom of the straw from gravity, the liquid being more dense than the air below it.
  46. A

    Contact angle of liquid drop on solid surface.

    Can anyone explain point 44 of the attached pdf document on surface tension. (Here's the link in case attachment doesn't work: http://www.sakshieducation.com/EAMCET/QR/Physics/Jr%20Phy/12Surface%20tension%20_198-208_.pdf) How is the surface tension direction found out? Also why is...
  47. P

    Help with a non-water based conductive liquid at room temp.

    Really hoping someone can help here! Im a product designer, not a chemist/physicist so apologies in advance for any stupid questions. I'm developing a new table lamp which is turned on and off by tilting it. For prototypes I have used a http://www.bareconductive.com/liquidity but this isn't...
  48. S

    How liquid pressure = dgh can be generalized

    I've seen the standard derivation of the expression for liquid pressure P = dgh where, d = density of the liquid; g = acceleration due to gravity; h = height of liquid column in many textbooks has been done by using a specific example of a cylindrical vessel. In such a case, the geometry of the...
  49. P

    I'm making ham stew and I sprinkle salt on top of the liquid. Will is disperse?

    What are the factors affecting dispersion of salt in a mixture? Obviously stirring will guarantee effective mixing, but I'm wondering how much I could expect the salt to disperse throughout the stew if I were to not touch it. The stew is near/at boiling (100 C), but it is not vigorously...
  50. J

    Heat Loss of Liquid, Solve for Time

    Hi all, i have a problem here I need to solve asap. Homework Statement I need to find out the Time it takes for 6900 gallons of WATER to go from: 55 deg F. to 32 deg F. 55 deg F. to 20 deg F. ambient air set at 20 deg F. if needed The heat loss rate is 750 Btu/Hr/degF. Homework Equations...
Back
Top