Topic 1: 1.1 (concepts)

Question	Answer
What is special about water's specific heat capacity and why is this good?	It is very high making it a buffer against rapid temperature change. So it doesn't add kinetic energy to water and makes it a stable habitat.
What is the max density of water and why is it important?	Max density at 4°C so when water freezes at lower temps, ice floats. This insulates the water below, stopping it freezing and creating a habitat.
Draw the bonding between water molecules.	Image: Hydrogen Bonding Med (binary/octet-stream)
How does surface tension work?	Happens because of cohesion which helps the water molecules stick together
Water is a polar solvent, why is this good?	Lots of substances can dissolve in it. This means water can be a good habitat e.g. ponds contain dissolved oxygen
Why does water need to be incompressible?	So cells become turgid and then supports plants and soft bodied creatures e.g. worms

Resource summary

	Created by Laura Merifield over 3 years ago