VLRD.Kush
Well-Known Member
http://io9.com/this-is-a-picture-of-the-lightest-substance-on-earth-461681135
It's lighter than helium
It's lighter than helium
Lightest human-made substance
- Thread starter VLRD.Kush
- Start date
tyler.durden
Well-Known Member
Good stuff to have on hand for the next Exxon mishap. The article asked the question at the end that had been on my mind the entire time, why doesn't this stuff float? I'm sure physics guy will come by and answer...
Dr Kynes
Well-Known Member
it doesnt float because it's not sealed.
just like carbon is lighter than oxygen, but it too doesnt float.
example: wood floats. a ship made of wood floats. but if you put a big hole in the hull, the ship sinks when water floods in, and only the loose bits will float free. if the ship were made entirely of wood and nothing else, it would sink until it reaches equilibrium, with the buoyancy of the submerged bits pushing up equaling the weight of the non-submerged bits pushing down. once you add nails battens, sails, hinges, hardware of every description, and all the other Non-Buoyant materials (mostly Treasure of course), it sinks.
i suppose if you were to put it in a balloon, displace the air with helium, and tie it off, the whole thing would float handily. i want to experiment with it now
Constiello
Well-Known Member
Good article find there
This should be researched more and experimented with for more practical and efficient applications. I'm thinking something aeronautic, maybe even body armor
But I do like the main potential it has now- Absorbing oil from a rig spill leading to recycling it
This should be researched more and experimented with for more practical and efficient applications. I'm thinking something aeronautic, maybe even body armor
But I do like the main potential it has now- Absorbing oil from a rig spill leading to recycling it
blackbellychimp
Member
This is correct. There are holes in the substance that allow air to occupy the space in between, since the pressures of gasses inside and outside of the substance want to reach equilibrium. If you could somehow seal this material, it would probably displace enough air to float.