10 Things You Might Not Have Known About Water
October 29, 2013 1.) Water is known as the Universal Solvent because it is capable of dissolving more substances than any other liquid
— including acids. Over time, water will dissolve almost everything, including: stone, metals, other liquids, gases, plant
material, salts, minerals and more.
2.) Pure water, which is practically impossible to find in nature, does not conduct electricity. The dissolved minerals that
are found in common water are what acts as a conductor — and are the reason a hairdryer dropped in a bathtub becomes
a hazard.
3.) Liquid water’s molecules stick together, which is why it forms into droplets and why plants can use it to transport nutrients from their roots up to their leaves.
4.) Salt dissolves in water because the molecules of both substances are known as “polar.” That means every molecule has a positive side and a negative side. The term “opposites attract” holds true here, because the positive sides of the salt molecules are attracted to the negative sides of the water molecules, and vice versa. Water, however, has a stronger charge than salt, so it essentially pulls apart salt’s molecular bonds
5.) Drinking a very large amount of water in a short period of time can kill you. While it’s rare, there are documentated cases. Essentially, the kidneys can’t flush the water out of the body fast enough, and it dilutes the blood, causing cells to swell up. Bottom line: Stick to about 8 ounces of liquid a day and you’ll be fine.
6.) Water makes up 66 percent of your body.
7.) The purity of bottled water is less regulated than tap water, and bottled water can cost 240 to 10,000 times more than the water from your tap. In America, more than 80 percent of those empty bottles wind up in landfills.
8.) Ice is less dense than water in its liquid form, which is why ice floats.
9.) Sound travels faster in water (about 3,350 miles per hour) than it does in air (about 768 miles per hour).
10.) Air pressure changes the boiling point of water. The higher the altitude, the lower the air pressure and the lower the boiling point of water. At sea level, water boils at 212°F, but at 5,000 feet, water boils at 202.9°F, which is why cooking times in recipes differ for those who live at higher altitudes.