2007-03-09 02:53:53 · 4 answers · asked by dopelgalang 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
The earth's gravity is pulling all matter toward the center of the earth.
So everything falls downward, right?
Well, not if 2 or more things are competing for the right to fall.
For example, if there is a ball in water, the ball is being pulled downward, but so is the water. If the ball has more mass for its volume than the same amount of water has, then the ball goes down (and some water has to go up because it's not being pulled as strongly).
Even outside of water, anything that falls is being pulled by gravity with more force than gravity's force on the same amount of air. (The object falls; air moves upward.) If the air weighs more, as is the case with a helium balloon, then the air goes down and the object goes up.
So, you ask why water settles down. Answer: because it is heavier than air.
And why do flames go upward? The flame is very hot gases, and those gases are lighter than the surrounding air. So they go upward.
2007-03-09 03:05:01 · answer #1 · answered by actuator 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Fire is not matter, it is simply the rapid oxidation of its fuel. The flame itself is simply an area which is undergoing rapid chemical reactions. These reactions cause it to attain extremely high temperatures, and glow. The three things needed for fire is oxygen, a fuel source, and an ignition (usually in the form of a spark). The reason that a flame flows upwards is not because of the flame itself, but because of the air and soot in the area. The hot air and soot form a convection current upwards from the fire source, and they carry some of the chemical reaction with them. Water, on the other hand, is matter. It settles down because it has mass, and thus, it has weight. The reason that water molecules cling together to form droplets is because of surface tension, and effect which is due to water being polar (the molecule has somewhat a positive and negative charge on opposite ends).
2007-03-09 03:11:59 · answer #2 · answered by Atomic Collision 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, think about it. If water is much more dense than fire, then it will sink to the bottom.
2007-03-09 02:58:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
may be pressure of gases is responsiple
2007-03-09 03:00:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋