Naked Science Forum

General Science => General Science => Topic started by: wolram on 02/03/2006 20:40:06

Title: Walking on water
Post by: wolram on 02/03/2006 20:40:06
Several novel ideas have been tried but can you come up with a sensible
method ?

A born optomist
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: neilep on 02/03/2006 21:02:48
Yes, visit your local ice rink ! [:D]


Well, apart from that, one has to make oneself lighter than water or be able to spread your weight equally over a large enough area so that the surface tension is supporting you.

Good luck in getting some good ideas.

Men are the same as women.... just inside out !!
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: Carolyn on 03/03/2006 01:32:12
When it rains or when I wash my car on my concrete driveway, I always get puddles.  If I step in the puddle, I'm walking on water.


Carolyn
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: ukmicky on 03/03/2006 01:44:40
No sorry your walking in water :)

Michael
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: ariel on 03/03/2006 02:02:38
put some floaty things on your shoes!
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: Mystericon on 03/03/2006 02:09:49
I saw a program; "Braniac: Science Abuse" with Richard Hammond, which by the way is brilliant and I recommend it anytime. Anyway the man filled a swimming pool with a yellow liquid known as Custard [:D] When the pool was eventually filled someone tried to walk across it, and voila they reached the other side. The consitency of the custard allowed more wieght to be distributed over a smaller surface area allowing the person to walk on custard. It's not water, but it is custard! [:D]
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: sharkeyandgeorge on 03/03/2006 10:50:48
sorry to correct you mysterican but it is not the consistancey of custard that enale you to walk on it but the fact that it is thixotropic and changes from liquid to a solid when force is applied. for quite a good kitchen experiment mix custard powder or corn flour and mix with a very little water when you cant stir it your there now you can pick it up in your hands shape it break it (it cracks like a solid) but keep it moving or it becomes a thin fluid and goes everywhere.

"your not paranoid if they're really after you"
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: rosy on 03/03/2006 12:01:27
Actually, if people are being picky, cornflour is sheer thickening (thickens reversibly when a force is applied) rather than thixotropic. From here: http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/hyrhe.html
"Thixotropic liquids exhibit a time-dependent response to shear strain rate over a longer period than that associated with changes in the shear strain rate. They may liquefy on being shaken and then solidify (or not) when this has stopped."

Sorry, have been hit over the head with this one two many times when demonstrating to kids... blame the chemical engineers.
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: Mystericon on 03/03/2006 12:53:02
[:p]

quote:
Originally posted by sharkeyandgeorge

sorry to correct you mysterican but it is not the consistancey of custard that enale you to walk on it but the fact that it is thixotropic and changes from liquid to a solid when force is applied. for quite a good kitchen experiment mix custard powder or corn flour and mix with a very little water when you cant stir it your there now you can pick it up in your hands shape it break it (it cracks like a solid) but keep it moving or it becomes a thin fluid and goes everywhere.

"your not paranoid if they're really after you"

 

Same difference [:D]
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: wolram on 03/03/2006 13:20:41

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4033725.stm

Well lizards can walk on water.

A born optomist
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: clouded.perception on 09/03/2006 07:19:13
Mystericon, there is nothing brilliant or even adequate about brainiac. It's just breasts, explosions, and a bunch of idiots pretending to do science (have you noticed that they don't even try to control their experiments properly?). Occasionally they say something interesting -- which you could get off the 'net by typing "science trivia" into the search engine. I stopped watching a while ago.

Although the thing where they put the group 1 elements in the bathtub was really cool.

I can picture in my mind a world without hate, a world without war.
And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it.
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: Andrew K Fletcher on 09/03/2006 16:57:17
Best one i've seen is a person inside a huge perspex globe, walking like a hamster on a treadmill.
http://www.faceplantwatertoys.com/sportsstuff-nuclear-globe-p-34.html

I was once sold some sandles, tha lady told me i could walk on water with these. Trouble is my feet got wet.

"The explanation requiring the fewest assumptions is most likely to be correct."
K.I.S. "Keep it simple!"
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: neilep on 09/03/2006 17:05:07
quote:
Originally posted by rosy

Actually, if people are being picky, cornflour is sheer thickening (thickens reversibly when a force is applied) rather than thixotropic. From here: http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/hyrhe.html
"Thixotropic liquids exhibit a time-dependent response to shear strain rate over a longer period than that associated with changes in the shear strain rate. They may liquefy on being shaken and then solidify (or not) when this has stopped."

Sorry, have been hit over the head with this one two many times when demonstrating to kids... blame the chemical engineers.




I remember seeing this on ' HOW ' about a million years ago..it really is quite fun !!..I think I like it better than my kids !![:)]


...erhhm...I don't mean to say that I like cornflour over and above the love I have for my kids !!..Oh..you know what I meant ![:D]

Men are the same as women, just inside out !
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: Dr B on 09/03/2006 18:40:46
All you have to do is run at 8000 m/s ...

Dr B
Istanbul
Title: Re: Walking on water
Post by: wolram on 09/03/2006 18:58:27
quote:
Originally posted by Dr B

All you have to do is run at 8000 m/s ...

Dr B
Istanbul


Awww, come on Dr B, there must be an easier way.


A born optomist