Why do our legs sink in dry sand and not in wet sand
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When sand is mixed with water, the water fills all the spaces between the sand particles(capillary action) and forms a kind of semi-solid putty which has the following properties-
1. It flows freely like a thick liquid when it is stress free and
2. It hardens at once under pressure.
When you step on dry sand, our feet sink in because the sand particles are displaced easily. This in turn is because your whole body weight is concentrated on a very small area(the foot).
Now when you step on wet sand, the water helps to distribute the incoming force over a large area.(Notice the colour of sand all around your foot changing in a wide circle which is larger than the area of your foot). So the apparent force acting on the sand is not enough to displace it as much as in case of dry sand. Hence your foot does not sink as much and walking is easier.
1. It flows freely like a thick liquid when it is stress free and
2. It hardens at once under pressure.
When you step on dry sand, our feet sink in because the sand particles are displaced easily. This in turn is because your whole body weight is concentrated on a very small area(the foot).
Now when you step on wet sand, the water helps to distribute the incoming force over a large area.(Notice the colour of sand all around your foot changing in a wide circle which is larger than the area of your foot). So the apparent force acting on the sand is not enough to displace it as much as in case of dry sand. Hence your foot does not sink as much and walking is easier.
Answered by
5
The source of difficulty is in sinking of the legs.
In the wet sand the sand particles adhere to each other and jointly resist your weight making your legs not to sink.
Hope it helps..
In the wet sand the sand particles adhere to each other and jointly resist your weight making your legs not to sink.
Hope it helps..
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