10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WATER

 10 Interesting facts about water

Water makes up around 70% of an adult’s body, it covers about 70% of the earth’s surface, yet only 1.1% of all the water on the earth is suitable for drinking. In the developed world, we take water absolutely for granted as we have it, literally, on tap, but elsewhere in the world, it’s not the same story. 780 million people around the globe do not have access to clean water and over 3 million people dies, every year, from water-related diseases. Quite a sobering thought and here are ten other interesting facts that you may not have known about water:

1. You can get drunk on water

Drinking too much water too fast can make you feel intoxicated. Water dilutes the sodium levels in the blood and too much water can lead to an imbalance in the brain, which leads to symptoms very much like those of alcohol intoxication.

2. You need water more, than you need food

Fresh, clean water is absolutely vital for human life. So, another one of the interesting facts about water is that you can live without food for about a month, but you can only live without water for less than a week.

3. Did you know that hot water freezes faster, than cold?

Another interesting fact about water is that warm water, in certain circumstances, freezes faster than cold. In 1963, a student in Tanzania noticed that hot ice cream mix froze quicker than cold. The students’ physics teacher ridiculed him at the time, but the student, Erasto B. Mpemba, proved his point by experimenting with pages of pure water. He proved that hot water will indeed freeze faster ,than cold, and his discovery is now known as the ‘Mpemba effect’.

4. It is easy to become dehydrated

The average adult needs to drink, at least, eight glasses of water to avoid dehydration. Just a 2% reduction of water in the body can lead to a 20% decrease in physical and mental performance. In a recent survey, it was found that 65% of all children drink too little water.

5. Depression and fatigue can be brought on by a lack of water

The body’s thirst mechanism does not kick in until you are, at least, 1% dehydrated, by which time you could be feeling the effects of mild depression and fatigue. A simple glass of water can often be all that you need to perk yourself up, when you are feeling tired and low.

6. Water doesn’t always freeze at 0°C

Water needs what are called, nucleation points, before it will freeze. These are things like impurities in the water, bubbles or even the rough surface of the container the water is held in. Very pure water will stay a liquid well below 0 °C without freezing and become a super-cooled liquid instead.

7. Most of the earth’s fresh water is underground

By far the majority of earth’s drinkable fresh water is found underground in aquifers and we are drinking today the same water that existed millions of years ago. The earth recycles water for us, so the chances are that your morning glass of water was drunk before and quite possibly by a dinosaur!

8. Water is the only substance found on earth as a liquid, solid and gas

Interesting facts about water don’t stop there. All substances can exist in three different states: liquid, solid and gas. Water is the one single substance that can exist, naturally, on earth as all three in the form of water, water vapour and ice.

9. The average American uses up to 100 gallons of water a day

Despite the fact that we only need to drink eight glasses of fresh water to stay alive, the average adult in the developed world uses around 100 gallons of fresh water every single day. The biggest use of water in the developed world is for the flushing of toilets.

10. Water is the best health tonic that there is

You can of course get water from the food that you eat and from other beverages that you drink, but often, food and drinks contain other ingredients, like salt and caffeine that negate the positive health effects of water. That’s why there is simply no healthy alternative to drinking your eight glasses of pure water every day.

Do you know some other interesting facts about water? Feel free to share them in the comment section below.