Wednesday, October 07, 2015
Hey! Why didn't anyone say this?
Somewhat inconclusive article on bacteria forming rain. Nothing new; it's been increasingly clear for several years that the universe is bacteria. Bacteria do everything. One of the things they do is nucleate rain, probably to serve the purposes of bacteria. If anyone had any sense, this fact could be used for weather control. Find out why bacteria want a drought here and a flood there, and fool them into moderating their desires. Nobody has any sense, so this won't happen.
In the middle of the article comes a REAL SHOCKER, which is stated blandly and flatly as just an ordinary fact.
"Most people think that water always freezes at zero degrees but very pure water actually freezes at about minus 40 degrees. If there is some dust or other small, invisible particles in the water, this raises the freezing point. The same applies if there are bacteria in the water," says Santl-Temkiv. A previous study showed that when purified water is cooled slowly, it may in certain circumstances, only begin to freeze at temperatures less than minus 48 degrees Celsius. Bacteria or other particles however, would force the water to freeze at higher temperatures.WHOA! HOLD IT!
WATER FREEZES AT MINUS 40!?!?!?!
As it happens (or not?) that's the same in both C and F.
I've been in and around science all my life, and never heard this before.
Is this a secret that insiders have known for a hundred years but never told the vulgar commoners?
The usual understanding goes the other way. Pure water freezes at 32, but various additives can push the freezing point DOWN by slowing crystallization.
If 32 is just an artifact of impurity, why is it so damn stable and predictable? Is there a natural optimum impurity, which water always tries to reach?
= = = = =
After a bit of googling: Apparently this is a new discovery, not an old secret. This 2011 article says pretty much the same thing about -48C, but still doesn't answer my question about the firmness and stability of the 'triple point'.Labels: Metrology
¶ 4:15 AM
