llamamushroom
2009-06-22, 03:34 AM
This is to all those on this board who are, unlike me, gifted with artistic skills greater than those of a brick. Basically, I've been given an assignment on the properties of water, and I need an illustration... illustrating cohesive inter-molecular forces. Naturally, my group decided to do something a little more interesting than expected (it's styled as a self-help manual entitled "Cohesive Forces and You - A Modern, Holistic Approach to Self Development in 10 Easy Steps (tm)), so we need a diagram whose complexity outstrips balls and sticks, which is all we can master on Paint (which is the only graphic program we can master).
So, to demonstrate cohesive forces, we need about four diagrams, all of them variants on the following:
water molecules are little people, and "cohesive forces" are actually just them holding onto each others' ankles.
That is the way our teacher sometimes shows it on the whiteboard, so we aren't entirely to blame for that particular bit of insanity. The rest of it, though, is all us.
Figure 1.
A close-up of the surface of some water. You can see the people (stick figures, possibly; preferrably in a slightly transparent shade of blue. You can see a couple of layers, if possible) holding onto each others' ankles/wrists/waists/heads/whatever. On the left-hand side, standing on the water, is an insect of some kind, and pressing onto said insect's back is a finger marked 'gravity'. On the right-hand side, there is another insect, but it has been forced into the water by an identical gravity-finger. This is because a couple of 'gladiators' (marked 'detergent' in one way or another) are beating up the water molecules, and thus making them lose contact with each other.
Figure 2.
As above, but the insects, gladiators and maybe a couple of the water molecules all have hair-dos (I was thinking coiffs, but go crazy)
Figure 3.
A close up of the left edge of a glass container (shown in 2D cross-section) with water inside. The glass 'molecules' are all pretty girls, and the water molecules are all clinging to them instead of each other, where possible. As such, the meniscus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meniscus) is going up the sides of the glass (type A from the wiki page).
Figure 4.
Much as above, but it's a plastic container, the plastic molecules are all dirty/smelly/generally unattractive, so the water molecules are touching the sides as little as possible. therefore, the meniscus goes away from the sides (type B)
Sorry for the short notice, but a speedy response would earn you my eternal devotion. Also, sorry if anyone who knows about chemistry sees this and has their mind implode from my group's massive oversimplifications, but that's the price of trying to be individuals.
Thanks in advance, because whatever comes out will be brilliant.
So, to demonstrate cohesive forces, we need about four diagrams, all of them variants on the following:
water molecules are little people, and "cohesive forces" are actually just them holding onto each others' ankles.
That is the way our teacher sometimes shows it on the whiteboard, so we aren't entirely to blame for that particular bit of insanity. The rest of it, though, is all us.
Figure 1.
A close-up of the surface of some water. You can see the people (stick figures, possibly; preferrably in a slightly transparent shade of blue. You can see a couple of layers, if possible) holding onto each others' ankles/wrists/waists/heads/whatever. On the left-hand side, standing on the water, is an insect of some kind, and pressing onto said insect's back is a finger marked 'gravity'. On the right-hand side, there is another insect, but it has been forced into the water by an identical gravity-finger. This is because a couple of 'gladiators' (marked 'detergent' in one way or another) are beating up the water molecules, and thus making them lose contact with each other.
Figure 2.
As above, but the insects, gladiators and maybe a couple of the water molecules all have hair-dos (I was thinking coiffs, but go crazy)
Figure 3.
A close up of the left edge of a glass container (shown in 2D cross-section) with water inside. The glass 'molecules' are all pretty girls, and the water molecules are all clinging to them instead of each other, where possible. As such, the meniscus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meniscus) is going up the sides of the glass (type A from the wiki page).
Figure 4.
Much as above, but it's a plastic container, the plastic molecules are all dirty/smelly/generally unattractive, so the water molecules are touching the sides as little as possible. therefore, the meniscus goes away from the sides (type B)
Sorry for the short notice, but a speedy response would earn you my eternal devotion. Also, sorry if anyone who knows about chemistry sees this and has their mind implode from my group's massive oversimplifications, but that's the price of trying to be individuals.
Thanks in advance, because whatever comes out will be brilliant.