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Water What is Water? Simply, it's 2 atoms of Hydrogen and 1 atom of Oxygen bonded together. Water is the most abundant compound on earth. About 70% of the human body is made of water. We tend to take it for granted...but chemically, water has some very unique properties. It may be the most unusual of all liquids! It's very odd that water is a liquid in the first place--all other compounds of similar molecular weight and structure are gases at room temperature. Water boils and freezes at extremely high temperatures for its size because of the extensive network of hydrogen bonds. Water has the highest specific heat, heat of vaporization, and heat of fusion of any other liquid at room temperature--it takes lots of energy to boil it, and a long time for it to cool down. Water also has a ferocious solvent action...a huge variety of compounds dissolve in it. Perhaps the strangest property of water is that it is the only known liquid that shows expansion upon cooling, since water is most dense at 39.2°F. This is why ice floats, and is a very important property--in very cold air temperatures, colder water rises to the top of a lake or river and freezes, leaving denser liquid below that allows aquatic life to survive the winter. Graphic representation of a water molecule. We've chosen these experiments to be in the 'Water' section of this site since they all involve liquids, not just water. Experiments with Water Magnetic Water Treatment Fact or Pseudoscience? Build one for cheap and decide for yourself! Steam Power One of the oldest (and the most fun) ways to run an engine Diamagnetic Water Experiments that prove water is diamagnetic Build a Fish-Powered Motor Possibly the silliest experiment we've ever done. PETA types please don't read this page! Distillation--Build the World's Simplest Still It's also the world's safest still, with no explosion danger! Only dangerous if you drink the results, or tell the police... Water Density Experiment Prove water's strange density properties with this experiment, and see why it's strange compared to other liquids Make Beer at Home! And we mean good beer too, from scratch. Fun with Ferrofluid Play with a very bizarre liquid that takes the shape of a magnetic field! Magnetorheological Fluids Even more bizarre than ferrofluids... We will gladly accept, review and consider your science experiment submissions for inclusion on this site, whether you are age 6 or age 100! Email us for details. Every experiment on these pages must be done with adult supervision only!!! If you are already an adult, we recommend getting a friend to help so you don't do anything childish and hurt yourself. We'll try to provide safety warnings, but cannot be held responsible for your own safety. Many of these experiments and many of the books we sell are from another era when safety was not a consideration, so PAY ATTENTION to the hazards of what you are doing! Wear safety goggles and gloves. Don't be stupid--YOU are supposed to be the adult here!

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THIS PAGE LAST UPDATED 1/23/02