The weirdness of water, Part 1 of 2
Discovery
BBC
4.3 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 27 December 2021
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
“I don’t really understand why water has so many properties on different scales ranging from very large and cosmic to very small quantum and quarky - Could you help by zooming in and out on water to explain what is known about it? Asks Neil Morton in Stirling. Rutherford and Fry learn about the special hydrogen bonds that makes water such an unusual liquid.
Quantum physicist Professor Patricia Hunt, at the Victoria University in Wellington in New Zealand explains to Hannah the quantum properties of individual water molecules and how they link up with other water molecules in liquid water and solid ice. She describes the hydrogen bonds that give water some of it’s weird and wonderful properties such as why ice floats, why water is able to store huge amounts of heat and why water has such a strong surface tension.
Science writer and author of ‘H2O – a biography of water’ Philip Ball describes how in the 18th century it was discovered that water was not one of the classical elements, but a compound liquid of water and hydrogen and explains to Adam why there are at least 15 different types of ice.
Physicist Dr. Helen Czerski sets the record straight on how ice forms in oceans and lakes and why water is at its densest at 4 degrees Centigrade and not zero.
Presenters: Hannah Fry & Adam Rutherford Producer: Fiona Roberts
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to tell you why I love podcasting. |
| 0:04.3 | I'm Sasha Johansson, I'm an Assistant Commissioner for the BBC and I work on making podcasts. |
| 0:11.1 | My real passion is discovering unbelievable unheard stories and working with the biggest |
| 0:16.8 | stars who can really bring those stories to life. |
| 0:20.0 | I love the whole process of making podcasts from the spark of an idea to hearing the final |
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| 0:40.6 | Have a listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:42.8 | Hello and welcome to the curious cases of Rutherford and Fry on Discovery for the BBC. |
| 0:48.0 | This is the programme where you send us in the queries, questions and conundrums that |
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| 1:11.3 | Today's curious case sent into curious cases at bbc.co.uk concerns one of the most curious |
| 1:17.6 | substances in the whole universe. |
| 1:19.7 | Yes, water, ubiquitous, essential, the very stuff of life. |
| 1:24.6 | You probably don't give it much thought yet as we are going to find out, water is mesmerisingly |
| 1:30.3 | weird. |
| 1:34.1 | So weird in fact that we need two episodes to wade through it all. |
| 1:38.8 | That's the first pun of many of their listeners. |
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