RESEARCH PROJECT : IS IT POSSIBLE TO WALK ON WATER ?

Glossary

 

Anti-thixotropic :  It’s a fluid which becomes thicker and thicker when we mix it.

 

 

The Archimedes’ principle : a buoyant force is the force applied upward on an object by any fluid. The Archimedes' principle states that the buoyant force applied to an object is equal to the weight of the fluid the object displaces.

 

 

Cornflour : It’s the white powdered starch derived from corn grain. In the USA, we call it “Cornstarch” and it’s popularly known under its famous brand: “maïzena”.

 

 

Gravitational field : It’s a field spread  in space and due to the presence of a mass which applies a gravitational influence on every body present nearby.

 

 

Hydrophobic substance : In chemistry, hydrophobicity is the physical property of a molecule (known as an hydrophobe) that is repelled from a mass of water. So an hydrophobic substance is a substance that repulse water.

 

 

Interface : It’s the boundary limit between two elements and by which exchanges and interactions take place.

 

 

Molecule :  It is an electrically neutral group of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their lack of electrical charge.

 

 

Newtonian fluid : It’s a fluid whose viscosity is independent of the pressure which is applied to him. There are four types of such fluids : shear thinning, shear thickening, thixotropic fluid, anti-thixotropic fluid.

 

 

Polystyrene : It’s a polymer obtained from petroleum products. We can mix it with a gas to create a lightweight material. It’s a thermal and acoustic isolation.

 

 

Shear thickening : It’s a fluid which becomes more viscous when we shake it and harder to mix.

 

 

Shear thinning : It’s a fluid which becomes more liquid, so less viscous when you shake it or you press it.

 

 

Surface tension : It is the elastic tendency of a fluid surface which makes it acquire the thinnest surface area possible. Surface tension allows insects (such as Gerrids) to float and walk on water.

 

 

Sustentation :  It is the effect of a strength which maintains a body at low distance over a surface and without any contact with it.

 

 

Thixotropic fluid : It’s a fluid which becomes more and more liquid when you mix it.

 

 

Topographic depression : It’s a topographic trough. It appears on water, for example, because of the walking of a Gerridae.

 

Viscosity : it is the resistance of a fluid to the sliding of a layer against another one.