This goes from the ocean to as simple as a glass of water. Are certain molecules bigger and heavier and therefore sink to the bottom while smaller ones float on top? If there is water in a glass and I pour more in, does the added water push the other to the top, sit on top of the original or is it truly just random and it mixes in and settles where ever it does and there’s no ryhme or reason to it
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They’re all constantly moving around based on the different forces acting on them. Gravity pulls down on all of them about equally. Intermolecular forces tend to hold them together and rotate them some. Surface tension on the side of the glass tries to hold particles near the walls still. Temperature gradients cause higher energy particles to move faster and move upward. So even in just a glass of water you’ll get some particle circulation.
If you pour into a glass of water, the falling stream has significant downward momentum. It will push down into water in the glass until it loses enough energy pushing other molecules out of the way. The water in the glass will get pushed aside and upward. Try it with a some food coloring in the water being poured and watch how it moves.
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