Tiny bubbles in the brine. (Letters).In your article "Shrimps spew bubbles as hot as the sun" (SN: 10/6/01, p. 213), you refer to imploding "air bubbles" that are produced by shrimp. However, these cavities, which are formed by cavitation cavitation Formation of vapour bubbles within a liquid at low-pressure regions that occur in places where the liquid has been accelerated to high velocities, as in the operation of centrifugal pumps, water turbines, and marine propellers. , are filled with water vapor vapor /va·por/ (va´por) pl. vapo´res, vapors [L.] 1. steam, gas, or exhalation. 2. an atmospheric dispersion of a substance that in its normal state is liquid or solid. , not air. As the shrimp claws move rapidly through the water, a low-pressure area is formed behind the claws. If the pressure is below the vapor pressure vapor pressure, pressure exerted by a vapor that is in equilibrium with its liquid. A liquid standing in a sealed beaker is actually a dynamic system: some molecules of the liquid are evaporating to form vapor and some molecules of vapor are condensing to form liquid. of water, water vapor will fill the area. Craig Bradley Guilford, Conn. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion