Is this my imagination or is it true that coffee is more spilly than water. Whenever I set down a cup of coffee it seems to go all over the place no matter how full the cup is. It seems that the coffee jumps out of the cup, whereas I can carry water all night long without spilling a drop - (though the glass always seems to be wet - but that is another question).
2006-07-13 06:36:12 · 9 answers · asked by Timothy K 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
No, you just notice it more because it's hot.
2006-07-13 06:39:07 · answer #1 · answered by S 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
In this case, the density of liquid is inversely porportional to it's "spillage". The less dense something is, the easier it will go all over the place. Think about spilling a high density syrup to a low density oil. Which will go all over the place faster? The oil, of course. The syrup will probably be harder to clean up, but that's a different story.
Is coffee more dense than water? I don't know. Depends on what you put in it. But you probably notice it because it's dirtier. Spill water, it will evaporate. Spill coffee, it'll be there in the morning.
And if you didn't know, the cup of water is wet becuase of condensation. Water draws heat out of things (which also poses some dangers to swimmers). So when you have a glass of water in your hand, the water is drawing heat out of the atmosphere, and making the water in the air around the cup cold. What happens when gaseous water gets cold? It turns to liquid, and sticks to your glass. That is what we call condensation.
2006-07-13 06:46:43 · answer #2 · answered by M 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it it true and not your imagination. There are many substances in coffee that reduce the surface tension in the cup. Much like the chemical surfactant that is in soap, it basically make water wetter thus helping the soap clean your cloths by reducing the surface tension and allowing the water to penetrate the fabric of your clothes. Minerals, Caffeine, Trigonelline, Lipids, Chlorogenic Acids, Aliphatic Acids, Oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, Amino Acids, Proteins, Hunic Acids are the different types of chemicals found in coffee besides caffeine and the others we add to flavor or sweeten the coffee.
Enjoy and maybe you should consider a sippy cup for your next coffee..
2006-07-13 06:53:42 · answer #3 · answered by Bill G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is such a late answer and for me to jump in, but I ll say I think coffee is easier to spill than say compared to water. I m no scientist, but I believe it has something to do with the fact that coffee is a suspended liquid... and reading some other peoples explanation, I also think it could have something to do with surface tension and temperature making it "less dense".
2016-07-13 05:03:09 · answer #4 · answered by Wing 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok, it also depends on the surface sides of the cup or mug your carrying it in. Put the same amount of water and then coffee into the same cup and see if you notice a differance.
2006-07-13 06:49:42 · answer #5 · answered by Kevin M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I definitely agree with you.........I just got cup of coffee, set it down and what do ya know it's now on my day planner.....I have also noticed that my beer tends to 'jump' out of glasses too.....but that could also be the operator of the glass...oh well!
2006-07-13 06:42:38 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try not filling the cup so high.
2006-07-13 06:41:00 · answer #7 · answered by Balthor 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The amount of "spillage" depends upon the liquid's viscosity.
2006-07-13 06:40:48 · answer #8 · answered by ag_iitkgp 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES IT DOES DO YOU FEEL HEAVY WHEN YOU DRINK IT WELL THAT'S BECAUSE COFFEE IS STRONG AND HEAVY NOT WHEN YOU PICK IT UP..BUT IT IS AND THAT'S WHY IT SEEMS TO SPILL MORE OFTEN..BUT THAT MAY JUST BE YOUR OPINION!
2006-07-13 06:42:15 · answer #9 · answered by guneet670 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋