Water can exist in the three common states of matter: solid (ice), liquid, and gas (steam).
Water is the only substance that can exist in all three states of matter within the range of temperatures found on Earth.
Water can also exist in a fourth state of matter called a “spin ice,” where the water molecules are arranged in a crystalline lattice.
Water is the most common substance on Earth, covering about 71% of the planet’s surface.
A single drop of water contains billions of water molecules.
Water has a high surface tension, which allows certain insects like water striders to walk on it.
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Pure water is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, however it is said that cats can taste pure water.
The maximum density of water occurs at 4°C, which means that ice floats on water.
Water is the only substance that expands when it freezes.
The human body is about 60% water. An average person contains ten gallons (38 liters) of water.
Water can absorb more heat than many other substances, which makes it a good coolant.
Water is used in many industrial processes, such as power generation, manufacturing, and agriculture.
To grow the wheat for a single loaf of bread requires two tons of water (1,496 gallons or 5,663 liters) are needed.
The blood of mammals has the same dilution of salt as ocean water.
A person can survive for about a month without food, but only about a week without water.
The world’s largest waterfall is Angel Falls in Venezuela, which drops water from a height of 979 meters (3,212 feet – more than 1/2-mile).
The average American uses about 80-100 gallons (302 to 378 liters) of water per day.
Water is a polar molecule, which means it has a positive end and a negative end. They say water molecules are shipped like Mickey Mouse, with a round head, the oxygen, and two ears, the hydrogen atoms at a 104.5-degree angle to each other.
Microwave ovens take advantage of the shape of water molecules. At a 2.4 gigahertz (2.4 billion times per second) they reverse an electrical field. The water molecules try to align one way, then the other. All this movement creates heat. Since plastic, porcelain and many other materials do not have polar molecules, they do not heat up in the presence of an alternating field.
Water can be split into its constituent elements, hydrogen and oxygen, through a process called electrolysis. Electrolysis is done with direct current electricity. If you put electrodes in water, bubbles of oxygen and hydrogen will form around those electrodes. Engines can be powered by recombining hydrogen with oxygen, but so far, the process of electrolysis uses more energy than can be retrieved.
Water is essential for photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy.
Scientists specializing in exobiology generally assume that lifeforms will require water, so life will probably not be found on a dry planet.
Sea water contains approximately 34 parts per thousand of salt.
The water cycle is the continuous movement of water between the Earth’s surface and atmosphere.
Water can be used to extinguish fires because it can absorb heat quickly and effectively.
Water can have a memory, according to a controversial theory called “water memory” proposed by French scientist Jacques Benveniste.
You can be cold when wet because water transfers heat from your body to the air more quickly than dry skin.
Water can form up to 15 different phases, including a liquid crystal phase.
Water has been found to have a surprisingly high surface tension in microgravity environments, which can affect the behavior of fluids in space.
The human body can sense the difference between hot and cold water much more accurately than it can sense differences in temperature for other substances such as steel, plastic and wood.
Water can conduct electricity even in the absence of dissolved ions, due to a phenomenon called “protonic conduction.”
Water has been found to exhibit strange quantum properties, such as “quantum tunneling” and “quantum entanglement.”
Water can be supercooled to extremely low temperatures without freezing, and can even exist as a liquid at temperatures as low as -40°C. Something needs to trigger formation of crystals (ice). Without that, water cannot freeze.
Water can be used to create “snowcrete,” a building material made from a mixture of snow and concrete.
Water can form a “chain” of hydrogen bonds that can stretch across large distances, allowing it to transport energy and information.
Water can be used to create a type of glass called “water glass,” which is made by melting silica in a solution of sodium carbonate and water.
Water can act as a natural lens, bending and distorting light to create mirages and other optical illusions.
Water can form a “bridge” between two surfaces, allowing them to stick together without the need for glue or other adhesives. If you’ve ever put a cover slip on a microscope slide, you’ve witnessed the effect.
