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Why is water heavy?


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Guest sibon
You're starting to sound like a physicist... ;)

 

 

ETA. Congrats. on the status upgrade. How much time have you spent trying to think of a witty tag line thingy?

 

I'm working on it. Witty doesn't come too easily to me.

 

I was thinking of "I am not, nor have I ever been a Physicist"

 

But that is too long.

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Guest sibon
I guess that temperature would have an effect, but does the height the water is from sea level have any effect?

 

Yes. If you take it far enough above sea level, it wont weigh anything at all:)

 

I doubt that the effect would be noticeable on the Earth's surface though.

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Yes. If you take it far enough above sea level, it wont weigh anything at all:)

 

I doubt that the effect would be noticeable on the Earth's surface though.

it is noticeable - it's snow ;)
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when it's not at atmospheric pressure

 

Assuming that, by "atmospheric pressure" you meant a pressure of 1 atmosphere / 760 mmHg / 101.325 kPa then, no. 1 litre could have a mass of 1 kg at different pressures, depending on the temperature. Two variables. Fun time!

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Weight = Mass x Gravity.

 

Gravity is less at the Equator than at the poles.

Gravity is less the further you move away from the centre of the earth - the gravity at the top of mount Everest is less than that at sea level.

 

A litre of water would weigh less than 1Kg at the North Pole, at the South Pole and at the top of Mount Everest. (At the top of mount Everest, a litre of fresh water would weigh about 999.972g)

 

Then again, you probably wouldn't find a litre of fresh water in any of those places. Plenty of ice, though.

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