Water Flashcards
Adhesion of water
Occurs because of the polarity of the water molecule. Water molecules have the ability to stick to other surfaces
Capillary action of water
A movement of water in opposition to gravity, caused by adhesion
Specific heat capacity
It is high for water - it needs a lot of energy to raise or lower it’s temperaturw
Evaporation of water
Separation of water molecules from each other.
High heat of fusion
Water needs a lot of energy to turn into ice
Latent heat of vaporisation
Water needs a lot of energy to turn into gas
Why do the thermal properties of water occur?
They occur due to many hydrogen forms needing to be formed or broken to change the temperature or state of water (tl;dr: complex structure of water)
Cohesion of water
Water’s ability to make hydrogen bonds with itself
Cohesion of water on earth
- allows plants to move water under tension in the plant’s xylem
- retains water on earth so it can serve as a living habitat
Buoyancy of water
When an object is immersed in fluid, that fluid exerts an upward force on the object which is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object
Buyoancy and animals
Because bird bones are strong but hollow, they don’t displace a lot of weight of water. That allows water to easily push to birds on top of the surface
Viscosity of water
It is a measure of fluid’s tendency to flow. The more viscous a fluid is (honey) the greater the resistance to flow (water has low viscosity so it’s easy to move inside water)
Viscosity and animals
Seawater is more viscous than freshwater which has consequences for animals living in seawaters
Thermal conductivity of water
It is a measure of a materials ability to move heat across a temperature gradient (how easily does energy transfer through the material?)
Thermal conductivity of water and animals
A thick layer of fat provides insulation from cold ocean temperatures in sea mammals; the
high water content of blood allows it to carry heat from parts of the body to parts that need more heat
