[Tolouse]

so i had one person ask this question. i don't have the proper vocabulary to make an intelligible assessment to this somewhat rambling. so i am wondering, what would be the best way to let this person know that they are off on this tangent?

Is that which we call the air solid? What is it? What exists between the atoms that make up our breathable atmosphere? If you take a survey of what is in any one cubed meter of the air, you'll come up with something that won't fill the full square metre. Thus my question is, what exists there?

My other query as concerning the question of wetness is a much simpler one. Since we can see that water is merely the atoms of Hydrogen, and Oxygen joined, then what precisely makes anything wet? if you soak a cloth, and then use an atomic microscope to go down between the H2O and the cloth, you'll see a space between them, as if they're not really touching, let alone fused together. What makes it wet? Is anything wet? Is the ocean?

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Still no responces? I wonder what's up with that.
I've often wondered about this very subject.
It seems to me that a liquid is merely a gas in a much more dense state.
For example propane in a bottle is in a liquid state and you can actually pour it as a liquid but relieved from the pressure of the storage bottle it rapidly turns to "steam" then "gas". Air does the same thing but requires more pressure to remain a "liquid". That said is there such a thing as being dry in any atmosphere? Or is wet a perpetual state except in a vacuum?
And yes as you said on the molecular (atomic?) level is air a solid,Liquid,or gas?
I really hope someone with better linguistic skills than I responds. I'd love to see what comes of this.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Tolouse

so i had one person ask this question. i don't have the proper vocabulary to make an intelligible assessment to this somewhat rambling. so i am wondering, what would be the best way to let this person know that they are off on this tangent?

Stick you hand out to your side while standing by a car. Cogitate your sensations. Get in the car and zoom-zoom-zoom up to 85 kph and stick your hand out the window. Cogitate the sensation.

On the wetness question, I'd go for your answer in a read-up on surface tension. >> Surface tension - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by Tolouse

so i had one person ask this question. i don't have the proper vocabulary to make an intelligible assessment to this somewhat rambling. so i am wondering, what would be the best way to let this person know that they are off on this tangent?

One thing to think of is that nothing is really solid, even the most dense element known is mostly empty space. It's the effects of the electrons repelling each other we feel when we touch something solid or liquid or gaseous. As for what is between the atoms of a gas, empty space just like the atoms of a solid or a liquid. the atoms of a gas move at random bouncing off each other and objects. a gas always expands to the limits of it's container or in the case of our atmosphere to the limits that gravity allows. a liquid is bounded by it's container and by it's surface tension. Solids are of course bounded by their shape. If electrons didn't repeal each other a block of iridium would be as easy to stick your hand through as air, even easier really. Not to mention the earth and everything on the earth would compress into a ball a few meters in diameter. Only nuclear forces could stop it's collapse. As for why water is wet, well you got me on that, i will say I bet it's due to surface tension in some way but I'll let someone else have a go at that.