Solids

Hi! Now, I was thinking about water. And it seems like a silly question, but is water a solid?

No, right? Well think about it, water is solid at the atomic level...Still no? Let's say we have a giant as big as the Sun, apples are a liquid to a giant! Get it?

Is it about perspective and am I right or wrong?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Note by Nathan Moses
3 years, 2 months ago

No vote yet
1 vote

  Easy Math Editor

This discussion board is a place to discuss our Daily Challenges and the math and science related to those challenges. Explanations are more than just a solution — they should explain the steps and thinking strategies that you used to obtain the solution. Comments should further the discussion of math and science.

When posting on Brilliant:

  • Use the emojis to react to an explanation, whether you're congratulating a job well done , or just really confused .
  • Ask specific questions about the challenge or the steps in somebody's explanation. Well-posed questions can add a lot to the discussion, but posting "I don't understand!" doesn't help anyone.
  • Try to contribute something new to the discussion, whether it is an extension, generalization or other idea related to the challenge.
  • Stay on topic — we're all here to learn more about math and science, not to hear about your favorite get-rich-quick scheme or current world events.

MarkdownAppears as
*italics* or _italics_ italics
**bold** or __bold__ bold

- bulleted
- list

  • bulleted
  • list

1. numbered
2. list

  1. numbered
  2. list
Note: you must add a full line of space before and after lists for them to show up correctly
paragraph 1

paragraph 2

paragraph 1

paragraph 2

[example link](https://brilliant.org)example link
> This is a quote
This is a quote
    # I indented these lines
    # 4 spaces, and now they show
    # up as a code block.

    print "hello world"
# I indented these lines
# 4 spaces, and now they show
# up as a code block.

print "hello world"
MathAppears as
Remember to wrap math in \( ... \) or \[ ... \] to ensure proper formatting.
2 \times 3 2×3 2 \times 3
2^{34} 234 2^{34}
a_{i-1} ai1 a_{i-1}
\frac{2}{3} 23 \frac{2}{3}
\sqrt{2} 2 \sqrt{2}
\sum_{i=1}^3 i=13 \sum_{i=1}^3
\sin \theta sinθ \sin \theta
\boxed{123} 123 \boxed{123}

Comments

At the atomic level, all matter (solids, liquids, and gases) is made up of moving atoms. However, the phase of a substance (whether it is a solid, liquid, or gas) is defined based on how much the atoms are moving (and equivalently how far apart they are from each other).

For example, the atoms which make up a solid barely move. They vibrate, but they are always very close to each other. On the other hand, the atoms which make up a gas are constantly moving all over the place. They bounce off of all surfaces, and are very far away from each other. The atoms in a liquid move more than those in a solid, but less than those in a gas. Also, they are not as close to each other as a solid, but not as far away from each other as a gas.

So to a giant the size of the sun, a "liquid" would be apples which move a fair bit and are not to far away from each other!

For further information, this wiki explains phases and phase changes more fully.

David Stiff - 3 years, 2 months ago
×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...