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Asked by nishamaliknm to Ceri-Wyn, Bridget on 26 Jun 2010 in Categories: General.
Question: why does humans feel liquid, solid but not gas?
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Bridget Waller answered on 25 Jun 2010:
Do you mean why can we feel solid and liquid with our hands, but we can’t feel gas? That’s a great question! I think the answer is that the particles in gas are too spread out to have a ‘surface’, and so even though we can technically touch it, there is no clear barrier between the gas and another substance. So we just pass straight through it, with no resistance. I have never really thought about that before – interesting!
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Comments
nishamaliknm commented on :
if the particles are too spread out then how come we feel wind when it is very windy??
Bridget commented on :
Ah well that is also a good point – if the gas has current in a specific direction, and is moving fast (like air powered by wind) then we can feel the pressure of the particles hitting our skin. There still isn’t a fixed barrier, but if the force is high then we can feel it!