What Are the Unique Properties of Water and How Do They Affect Its Behavior?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the unique properties of water, particularly the arrangement and behavior of water molecules. Participants explore whether adjacent water molecules fit together tightly, leading to the concept of "continuity" in water. It is established that water molecules contain significant gaps, suggesting that most matter, including water, is primarily composed of empty space. The conversation also touches on the visual representation of water at a molecular level, emphasizing that the surface of calm water, while appearing smooth, is actually irregular when viewed at a microscopic scale.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of molecular structure and behavior
  • Familiarity with concepts of continuity in physics
  • Basic knowledge of water's physical properties
  • Awareness of molecular visualization techniques
NEXT STEPS
  • Research molecular dynamics simulations to visualize water behavior
  • Study the concept of surface tension in liquids
  • Explore the implications of empty space in atomic structures
  • Investigate advanced imaging techniques for molecular visualization
USEFUL FOR

Scientists, educators, students, and anyone interested in the physical properties of water and molecular behavior.

neginf
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1. Do adjacent water molecules fit together so tightly that water is "continuous" ?
2. If the answer to 1. is "no", what is in between them ?
3. What would the surface of a calm puddle look like if magnifed so individual molecules could be seen?
 
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what does "continuous" mean to you in this context? Molecules are almost nothing but pure emptiness, so what is it that would be "continuous".
 
Maybe I should have asked if it had no gaps instead of using the word "continuous".

Is the answer to 1. "no" because the molecules are mostly gaps to start with and have gaps between them ?
Does this mean many things in ordinary life are mostly empty space ?

Does the surface of calm water appear smooth because of scale - if you could magnify it enough to see individual molecules, would that surface actually be not smooth and even changing shape ?
 
neginf said:
Maybe I should have asked if it had no gaps instead of using the word "continuous".

Is the answer to 1. "no" because the molecules are mostly gaps to start with and have gaps between them ?
Does this mean many things in ordinary life are mostly empty space ?

Does the surface of calm water appear smooth because of scale - if you could magnify it enough to see individual molecules, would that surface actually be not smooth and even changing shape ?

Water's a lot smoother than many things but I'm sure if you could see down to enough granularity it would be very ragged.

It's not that "many thing in ordinary life are mostly empty space" it's that EVERYTHING (outside of black holes and neutron stars) is amost pure space.
 
Thank you very much.
 
For number three it would look something like this, the molecules at the top represent evaporation.

A5040064-Molecular_structure_of_water_vapour-SPL.jpg
 
Nice picture, but it shows molecules as solid objects. This is not entirely correct - in some situations they behave like that, in others they don't.
 
I would agree with your comment Borek but to visualize what's happening we could never illustrate it with enough detail to include electrons in their orbitals and such.

Also it was one of the better images on google and I couldn't find anything clearer.
 

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