Two Questions: One on Raindrops and one on Water?

Question

1. You know how if you look at a raindrop one edge it black? Why is this?

2. You know how they say that there is always the same amount of water on Earth? What would happen if more water was added somehow? Would there be any effects at all?

Answer 1

1. Light which passes just through the edge of the rain drop is refracted enough that, at a little distance from the drop, there is no light coming to your eye from that edge because it was refracted away from its path toward your eye. With no light coming to you from the direction of that edge, the edge , of course, looks black.
2. Water does get added to the earth occasionally. If a comet enters the atmosphere, it brings water with it. Some astronomers think that most of the water on earth came from comets. The amount of water on earth has slowly increased over time, with much more having been added in the first couple of billion years than has been added since then, as the population of comets has decreased because they keep falling into planets. The amount of water added at any one time is very small, and causes no immediate noticeable effect. If a very large amount were added all at once, the effect would mostly be predictable. Oceans would rise. The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere would increase in proportion to the increase in the surface area of the oceans.

Answer 2

1. Light is bended due to the raindrop. It probably looks black on the edges because thats where the light gets bended at.
2. Water levels can change on earth. If a ice comet hit the earth, (there is a possibility), water levels would increase. Not much would happen. No effects.

Answer 3

Hmm...I have never noticed that tone edge of a raindrop is black . Nor have I heard there is always the same amount of water on Earth.

I have to say that I really question the statement that there is always the same amount of water on earth. Water is hydrogen and oxygen. How can the amount of water stay the same with all the evaporating and condensation?

I am stymied

Answer 4

1. I'm not quite sure about the edges you're talking about, but the color you see in association with raindrops are due to refraction of light (see references).
2. If by water, you mean the sea level, it is not always the same. Levels change all the time due to freshwater sources from land, the melting/freezing of glaciers, evaporation, etc. As for adding more water, the issue has been addressed many times. For example, Al Gore posits in his documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," that global warming might one day cause the glaciers of the poles to melt, causing the sea level to rise and destroying low altitude coastal cities around the world.

Answer 5

1. It's because of refrection. At the edges of the bubble the light deviates from it's path.

2. Yes I would say their will be. The balance of water is not maintained by the amount of water but also the state of it (i.e: liquid, ice, vapro, ...) as u kno the polar melting has a huge effect on the earth's status quo. soI'd say it will affect some how.

Answer 6

Refractive Index. ~0 light refracted (or reflected for that matter) at 90 degrees to incidental ray. Seeing the edge is looking at the plane of the surface of water. No light refracted/reflected = black

2. Who says? Are there no ice crystals on meteors/comets that smack into us? How much water are you talking about? Don't astronauts eject their waste (ie: urine) into space? We're losing water, aren't we?

Answer 7

well it depends if there is alot added the may be less land

Answer 8

Condensation nuclei...nuff said.