My daughter when she was 3 asked "why is water wet?" I still don't know how to answer her 22 years later. Anyone got the answer for me?
by 
Britabroad
ANSWERS: 7
-
it's what happens when the elements bond and that's a characteristic of the molecules at that temperature. every chemical compound has 3 phases. solid liquid and vapor. that's a little too intense for a 3 year old lol
-
At three I would tell her "Because God made it that way". At 22 I'd tell her to look it up.
-
An excerpt from National Geographic: "This is starting to sound very confusing until Bolanowski says: "In simple terms people perceive three basic things via skin: pressure, temperature, and pain." And then I'm sure he's wrong. "When I get wet, my skin feels wet," I protest. "Close your eyes and lean back," says Bolanowski. Something cold and wet is on my forehead—so wet, in fact, that I wait for water to start dripping down my cheeks. "Open your eyes," Bolanowski says, showing me that the sensation comes from a chilled, but dry, metal cylinder. The combination of pressure and cold, he explains, is what makes my skin perceive wetness. He gives me a surgical glove to put on and has me put a finger in a glass of cold water. My finger feels wet, even though it's not touching water. My skin, which seemed so reliable, has been deceiving me my entire life. When I shower or wash my hands, I now realize, my skin feels pressure and temperature—it's my brain that says I feel wet." http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/unmasking-skin.html
-
tell her because if it was dry it would not be water.
-
The grown-up child's inquiry why the water is wet will have to remain unanswered for some more time. Even if we reformulate it in appropriate terms, asking for a microscopic-statistical explanation for the phenomenon of wetting, it exceeds the frame of this introductory treatment. - And so much the better: curiosity, after all, is the well spring of all science. http://homepage.univie.ac.at/franz.vesely/sp_ english/sp/node1.html
-
She was quite young for all the technical stuff, of course... but what I would do, is tell her that "water is wet because if it was colder, it would be ice and snow. When it gets very, very hot, it turns into a cloud (that you can sometimes see, sometimes can't). Water is in the middle because it's not "very, very cold or very, very hot." Bring out some ice or if you're in an area with snow, explore it with her. Then boil some water in a kettle and show her the steam and vapour when it gets "very, very hot" and relate it to the clouds she sees. All of this will probably bring about more questions, but go with it as much as you can... It's good for kids to be curious, but it's also good for them to know that their parents and teachers don't have the answers to everything. EDIT: I know this answer doesn't really answer the "WHY?" but I guess I got stuck and focused on the explanation to the three-year old. :)
-
Water isn't wet. Wetness is something we feel and not an actual quality of water. Water is LIQUID because of its molecular structure.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC