Text, Design, and Illustrations

              By Graham Stark

 

Evolutionarily speaking, life on planet earth has evolved to utilize the properties of water and is completely dependent upon it.  Water is the greatest occurring liquid found on our planet and living organisms are typically composed of 65-95% of it (Eugene Hecht 2003).  When water is examined at the atomic level on up to the liquid, gas, and solid level, many fascinating emergent properties are displayed. 

In the natural world it is easy to observe some of the properties of water, such as an insect skating across a pond, or a glass filled with water above the brim.  What are the dynamics of water that allow for such interesting behavior?  To fully understand the physical properties of water and how it behaves, it is important to first look at its individual atoms and molecules. 

 

 

 

Contents:

 

1.  Atomic Structure of Water Molecules

 

2.  Polarity of Water Molecules and Hydrogen Bonding

 

3.  Adhesion, Cohesion and Surface Tension

 

4.  Ice

 

5.  Bibliography