What Happens When Water Meets a Black Hole?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion explores the hypothetical scenario of surrounding a black hole with water, focusing on the behavior of water in the extreme gravitational environment of a black hole. Participants examine various aspects of this scenario, including the physical properties of water and the implications of black hole physics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that water would fall into the black hole.
  • Others argue that only some of the water would be sucked in, suggesting a misunderstanding of water's properties.
  • A participant clarifies that water is non-compressible, contrasting it with the extreme conditions near a black hole.
  • Another participant states that everything behaves differently in a black hole, implying a significant change in physical behavior.
  • There is a discussion about the compressibility of water compared to solids, with some asserting that no material is truly incompressible.
  • A participant questions the relevance of assuming water is incompressible to the original question, suggesting that the behavior of water would depend on its state (e.g., in orbit or falling into the black hole).

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the behavior of water in the context of a black hole, with no clear consensus reached on the implications of water's properties or the nature of the scenario.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various physical properties of water and black holes, but the discussion remains speculative without definitive conclusions or resolutions to the questions raised.

Max Rosner
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What would happen if you surrounded a black hole with water?
 
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Max Rosner said:
What would happen if you surrounded a black hole with water?
the water would fall into the black hole
 
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OK, little bit of background here, I thought it would! I was having a discussion with a friend who was talking about how water is incomprehensible, so if you surrounded a black hole with water only some of it would be sucked in. I decided to seek the internet's advice. Sorry but I do not have a super in depth knowledge of this area so I apologize for any mistakes I make. Thanks!
 
Max Rosner said:
OK, little bit of background here, I thought it would! I was having a discussion with a friend who was talking about how water is incomprehensible, so if you surrounded a black hole with water only some of it would be sucked in. I decided to seek the internet's advice. Sorry but I do not have a super in depth knowledge of this area so I apologize for any mistakes I make. Thanks!
I assume that rather than incomprehensible, you mean non-compressible, since water isn't all that hard to understand :smile: You are thinking of pressures like those found in normal objects such as Earth. Black holes aren't like that.
 
phinds said:
I assume that rather than incomprehensible, you mean non-compressible, since water isn't all that hard to understand :smile: You are thinking of pressures like those found in normal objects such as Earth. Black holes aren't like that.
Much appreciated. So water would behave differently in the environment of a black hole?
 
Max Rosner said:
Much appreciated. So water would behave differently in the environment of a black hole?
EVERYTHING behaves differently in a black hole.
 
Also, if you compress water "hard" enough, you will get ice (even at room temperature).
 
jaydnul said:
Also, if you compress water "hard" enough, you will get ice (even at room temperature).
This still is talking about the kind of pressure that exists on Earth or that can be made by man. This simply is not comparable to a black hole.
 
Water is much more compressible than many solids. So there is nothing special about considering water instead of rocks or pieces of metal.
There is no known material which is "in-compressible". Starting from a wrong premise, the question does not have substance.
 
  • #10
I don't see why even assuming the water is incompressible means anything to the question. If it is a ring of water in orbit, it [boils, freezes, sublimates and] orbits the black hole. A non-rotating sphere of water, it [boils, freezes, sublimates and] falls into the black hole. Is getting crushed really what the OP is about?
 
  • #11
Cool, thanks guys!
 

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