MadSci Network: Chemistry |
I assume that by 'how big of a splash' made by a liquid you mean the size of the puddle or splash area made by the liquid when it is poured or dumped on a flat hard surface. In the absence of tests to understand which liquids splash more than others I would use the viscosity of the liquid as a basis for estimating how large of a splash it will make. For youngsters I would call the viscosity the 'thickness' of the liquid (viscosity is a measure of a fluid's resistance to flow). The thicker liquid should splash less than the thinner liquids. I would rank the 'thickness' of the liquids as follows, from the 'thinnest' to the 'thickest':
water-soda-juice-milk-cooking oil
This ranking depends on the type of juice and soda used. I assume the soda to be Coke or Pepsi or an equivalent. For the juice I assume something like fresh orange juice. A thick fruit or vegetable juice, or soda, would alter the rankings. So would a thin cooking oil versus a thicker type. Following this reasoning I would predict that the water would make the biggest 'splash' and the cooking oil the smallest. The others would be intermediate, depending on how the tests are carried out and the exact type of juices. Finally, the temperature at which the tests are made is a factor if results from different locations are to be compared. Usually the viscosity ('thickness') of a liquid decreases rapidly as it's temperature rises.
I hope this helps.
Regards, Myron Cagan
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