What is Water?

The chemical formula H2O means that a water is composed of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms and is well-known in households around much of the developed world, leaving many to THINK they understand exactly what water is, but water is far more mysterious than you believe.

Over the last two centuries, chemists have been developing comprehensive studies outlining what liquids are, how they behave, and what they should or shouldn’t do. Nevertheless, when it comes to water, many of those notions fall flat on their faces.

While it is abundant with 71% of the world being made up of water and we all know what H2O means, we don’t fully understand its unique properties and why it behaves in the way that it does

One peculiarity of water is illustrated every time you put ice cubes in your tea or fresh lemonade, but rarely does anyone question it. Solid butter won’t float upon melted butter, solid wax will not float on liquid wax, nor will a rock float upon on liquid lava, yet if you take a glass of water and place ice cubes into it, a solid will be floating on a liquid.

Too many this may seem to be a trivial thing without implication, however this odd behavior has helped shaped planets and life on Earth. Were it not for this “trivial” oddity, we would not be alive to enjoy a cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day.

While it’s true that water covers much of the world’s surface, it can also be found in various fruits and vegetables as well, which counts towards your daily water intake when eaten. But how much is enough?

Playing a critical part of your vital functions, water makes up roughly 50% of the body’s overall weight, but this water is lost when you sweat, use the bathroom, and even when you breathe.

Most people have heard that we should drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water every day, however that claim has been challenged by experts, including “Nutritioulicious” spokesperson Jessica Levinson, saying that, “Requirements vary among individuals based on age, sex, and activity level.”

One popular means of figuring out how much water an individual should have is to use a little math.

Body weight divided that by 2.2

Multiply that number according to your age as follows:

Under 30, multiply by 40

Between the ages of 30-55, multiply by 35

55 or older, multiply by 30

Now divide that sum by 28.3

And this number would reflect how many fluid ounces of water you should consume daily based on your age and weight. However, according to Harvard.edu, the daily four-to-six cup rule will be on target for “generally healthy people”.

Regardless of age, sex, or body weight, it’s important to consider the quality of water we drink. In much of the world, including parts of the U.S., we face a water crisis that impacts both purity and availability of water.