For instance, why does a towel soak up water (i.e. 'suck water into places where air previously was) much more quickly than it dries (i.e. sucks air into places where water used to be)? It only takes an instant for something to get wet, but a long time to get dry.
Is this a common for other liquids and other porous solids - what about if you poured mercury onto a slice of bread? What if you poured rubbing alcohol onto a clay pot? Does this situation still hold true? Does temperature have anything to do with it? What about molten lead and a slab of very hot (but not molten) granite?
Just curious! Thanks!!!
2006-10-13
08:31:50
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4 answers
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asked by
colin_21
2
in
Chemistry