It has been said that if you are sinking in soft mud, you should not move vigourously to try to get out.
why is it like that ?
what should we do then ?
2007-02-08 23:42:15 · 3 answers · asked by Myself 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
&
please describe the phenomenon and its properties
2007-02-09 00:42:28 · update #1
there are several ways to get out of soft wet mud. to successfully remove your feet from said situation you must break the vacuum formed when attempting to pull your foot from the mud sometimes you can simply keep walking and lifting your heal will do the trick. other times it may be necessary to put a stick down beside your foot to get air or water underneath your foot. other times you just have to step out of your shoes. digging them out or leaving them there is up to you
2007-02-08 23:58:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It may depend on how deep you have sunk. If up to your ankles it still depends on whether you went in head first. If the mud is soft and you are not too deep, try gently pulling up one foot. There is a suction under your foot that must either be broken or filled with soft mud. Scientifically, you must raise the weight of your leg and foot plus the weight of mud and even the weight of the atmosphere (like a suction cup) that is pressing down with a force of 14.7 pounds per square feet. If you can change the area the atmosphere is acting on (tiptoe has less horizontal area than flat footed) it should be easier to extract one foot and there should be less downward pressure on the other foot causing it to sink further. If instead of soft mud you encounter quicksand (live sand!) you may be able to float horizontally on it as it consists of sand and silt being suspended by water (a spring?) flowing up toward the surface.
2007-02-09 08:36:45 · answer #2 · answered by Kes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mythbusters on Discovery Channel just did that experiment!
Check it out. Also, a lot of the sinking has to do with water content. Moving causes liquifacation of the soils and groundwater that makes the mud even more fluid (thus you sink more). Look up liquifaction. There is an interesting related phenomena called "sand boils" that occur during an earthquake. Look that up also.
2007-02-09 16:04:01 · answer #3 · answered by TheRockLady 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋