Physics of water bendingGerald NavarroAward: Top 100
School: sleepy hollow high school My photo displays the sticky properties between skin and water. Growing up, every time I had to shower I would stick my arms out and watch the water shoot out the tips of my fingers. This kept me entertained thinking I could waterbend. Obviously, I couldn't waterbend, so I sought to find out why this phenomenon occurred. Water is made of molecules, and these molecules are very attracted to each other due to their hydrogen bonds. Due to the great difference in electronegativity between the hydrogen and oxygen molecules, water molecules are extremely polar with one end being very positive (Hydrogen) and the other end very negative (Oxygen). These strong intermolecular attractions cause water molecules to want to stay together unless another molecule with a stronger electrostatic force of attraction disrupts the water molecules. The water sticks to the skin in the photo because of a phenomenon called adhesion. Adhesion is the act of pure water molecules being attracted to each other, water is attracted to water. This means that water will stick to your skin due to adhesion when you shower and your skin gets damp. Then, when you stick your arm out; the water will travel down your arm, and shoot off of it, due to the momentum from the water moving down your arm. 
|
|