Floating Water Bridge


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The floating water bridge is a weird phenomenon discovered by Elmar Fuchs and colleagues from the Graz University of Technology in Austria, in which, with the help of electricity, water can actually create a floating bridge as long as 25 millimeters.

From PhysOrg:

When exposed to a high-voltage electric field, water in two beakers
climbs out of the beakers and crosses empty space to meet, forming the
water bridge. The liquid bridge, hovering in space, appears to the
human eye to defy gravity.

Upon investigating the phenomenon, the scientists found that water
was being transported from one beaker to another, usually from the
anode beaker to the cathode beaker. The cylindrical water bridge, with
a diameter of 1-3 mm, could remain intact when the beakers were pulled
apart at a distance of up to 25 mm.

Why water would act this way was a surprise, Fuchs told PhysOrg.com.
But the group’s analyses have shown that the explanation may lie within
the nature of the water’s structure. Initially, the bridge forms due to
electrostatic charges on the surface of the water. The electric field
then concentrates inside the water, arranging the water molecules to
form a highly ordered microstructure. This microstructure remains
stable, keeping the bridge intact.

- via cracked

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by pax.


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P.S.- Hey Video Game Dork, though it might interest you to know, as I discovered by accident in the lab today, solid phase cyclohexane is also less dense than liquid phase cyclohexane. Its crystals floated as I thawed a large sample. I would guess that other similar cyclic compounds might behave similarly (e.g.- cylcopentane, cycloheptane...).

gtron- still lol.
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applications-- maybe a new method of water purification? At least in terms of heavy impurities. It could reduce filter reliance, and maybe simplify chemical separation techniques generally.

gtron- it appears you are hydrophobic. nyuk nyuk
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