[ELI5] Can one physically compress water, like with a cyclinder of water with a hydraulic press on the top, completely water tight, pressing down on it, and what would happen to the water?
In: 1967
Liquids are generally considered incompressible, so in your scenario you would not be able to compress the water, you would simply reach the point at which the cylinder holding the water would burst. That said different liquids do compress slightly, but not a noticeable amount. This is why hydraulic systems are so efficient and effective, the oil used cannot be compressed.
Yes. Water is not completely incompressible. Increased pressures will vary its density slightly, and at extreme pressures (on the order of >=1 GPa), water will solidify, even at room temperature.
Ice / water / water vapour phase transitions are described by a phase diagram. Water ice can take several different forms depending on the combination of temperature and pressure.
Liquids are generally considered incompressible, so in your scenario you would not be able to compress the water, you would simply reach the point at which the cylinder holding the water would burst. That said different liquids do compress slightly, but not a noticeable amount. This is why hydraulic systems are so efficient and effective, the oil used cannot be compressed.
In your typical applications (car lifts, construction equipment) the fluids (they don’t use water, they use oils instead, but the principle is the same) will not get enough pressure to be altered, somewhere else in the system (metal cylinder, rubber hose, etc.) will break before the fluids are altered.
In your typical applications (car lifts, construction equipment) the fluids (they don’t use water, they use oils instead, but the principle is the same) will not get enough pressure to be altered, somewhere else in the system (metal cylinder, rubber hose, etc.) will break before the fluids are altered.
In your typical applications (car lifts, construction equipment) the fluids (they don’t use water, they use oils instead, but the principle is the same) will not get enough pressure to be altered, somewhere else in the system (metal cylinder, rubber hose, etc.) will break before the fluids are altered.
As others have said, water is considered incompressible for all practical purposes. That’s why hydraulics are so powerful. It’s why you can lift a car on a column of oil. If the liquids compressed, it wouldn’t work.
When you learn about air as a fluid, and related principles like Bernoulli, one of the first things they teach you is that gaseous fluids can generally be compressed, but liquid fluids like water cannot.
Others have explained here that this is a general principle for practical purposes, not an inviolable law. Apparently you can compress water, but not with the pressures associated with normal equipment used in hydraulics.
This is a great question. Good job, OP
As others have said, water is considered incompressible for all practical purposes. That’s why hydraulics are so powerful. It’s why you can lift a car on a column of oil. If the liquids compressed, it wouldn’t work.
When you learn about air as a fluid, and related principles like Bernoulli, one of the first things they teach you is that gaseous fluids can generally be compressed, but liquid fluids like water cannot.
Others have explained here that this is a general principle for practical purposes, not an inviolable law. Apparently you can compress water, but not with the pressures associated with normal equipment used in hydraulics.
This is a great question. Good job, OP
Most hydraulic machines cant, but if you were to apply enough pressure, it would turn into a solid (take up less space).
Ice normally takes up more room than water, but i guess you can consider it a new state.
https://www.livescience.com/1385-scientists-ice-hotter-boiling-water.html
Most hydraulic machines cant, but if you were to apply enough pressure, it would turn into a solid (take up less space).
Ice normally takes up more room than water, but i guess you can consider it a new state.
https://www.livescience.com/1385-scientists-ice-hotter-boiling-water.html
Latest Answers