Water is everywhere. This is the most common substance in nature. Most of the planet’s surface is occupied by seas and oceans, once, according to scientists, all terrestrial creatures came out of it on land.
Water is an amazing substance that has no analogues in nature. This is a substance that can change radically under the influence of ambient temperature.
Three states of water - ice, liquid, gas - are called aggregate. At first glance, they differ so much, and you might think that these are different materials. However, the snow that fell in the morning, the passing rain and clouds above the heads are types of the same substance, but with different physical properties, and qualitatively different from each other.
The cycle is an opportunity given by nature
Three states of water are very important for our planet, as they provide a cycle. From the water surfaces of flowing rivers, seas and oceans, the liquid evaporates under the influence of sunlight, turns into a gaseous state, that is, steam. It rises, turning into clouds. Since the temperature there is lower, droplets of water form (it turns back into liquid). From the clouds in the form of precipitation, water falls on the earth, replenishes the rivers and the World Ocean.
Three states of aggregation of water
When asked what is water, many people will answer without hesitation - liquid! And they will not be quite right. Of course, we are used to seeing water in nature mainly in a liquid state. However, it has three forms: liquid, solid (in the form of snow, ice, hail) and gaseous (steam, clouds). Let's consider each option in more detail.
Liquid
If we compare the three states of water, then in liquid form it occurs more often with a fairly wide range of temperatures (from 0 to 100). In rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, it has a liquid substance. Dew, rain - precipitation is also in the form of a liquid. It has no form, taste or smell - all this is given to external influences by water. For example, the liquid takes the form of the dishes where we poured it, takes on the smells and taste of additives (the same chlorine in the water supply). The liquid form of water is malleable, but has tremendous power. As the saying goes, water sharpens a stone. And the liquid creates caves and destroys rocks, changing the planetary topography.
The value of fluid for humans
If we take all three states of water, then liquid is of paramount importance for man, and for all living things on Earth. H 2 O is widely used in everyday life, for hygiene and sanitation: everywhere water is in demand in liquid form. And each person needs to consume quite a large amount of it (up to 2 liters) per day to replenish the water balance. Scientists have proved that without food, with a certain training a person can do up to 40 days, but without water and a week he can’t survive. There comes dehydration at the cellular level, and then death.
Solid state
Any substance in nature consists of small particles in motion. As the temperature drops to minus, the particles of water begin to move more slowly, and the liquid acquires a solid structure. Empirically, one can verify: a liquid (water), when it enters a solid state, not only turns into ice, but also changes in volume - expands (almost all objects under the same cooling, on the contrary, decrease in size).
If you freeze a glass bottle of water, it will burst. Ice on reservoirs and mighty icebergs, icicles on the roof, snow, hail - all these are solid states of water. In the nature and economic life of people, ice is important in performing protective, sanitary, and cooling functions. For example, the cooling of medicines or foods.
But ice in nature can be a natural disaster. Hail and icing of wires, leading to cliffs, icy conditions, leading to injuries, freezing of soils and snow avalanches - all these are consequences of the action of a solid state of water.
Gaseous state
Considering the 3 states of water, one can not help but pay attention to its third hypostasis - water vapor. Heating water to 100 degrees, we get its transition to a state of gas. In the surrounding nature, this form is found in the form of various clouds, fogs, vapors with increasing humidity. And the smallest particles of water are constantly in the atmosphere of our planet.
The gaseous state of water, caused artificially, played a huge role in the development of scientific and technological progress and in the life of all mankind. In the last century, steam engines were widely used (not to mention the 19th century) to generate energy, thanks to which the units could be set in motion. For example, a steam locomotive and a car worked using steam energy.
Water value
All three states of water in nature are of great value to humanity. And its transition from one species to another performs the functions of deep purification of the environment. As a result of the cycle, huge masses of liquid self-clean and benefit the person. In this regard, there is a clear need to protect water resources, keep them clean and not pollute water with human waste products and industrial emissions.