he C uriosi T y Files

1 TheFilesQuicksandCuriosiTyExplorations with prof Essor ana lyz E, Exp Ert in outlandish odditi Curiosity Files : quicksand 2010 The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC Box 8426, Gray, TN 37615 Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved Project Manager: Heidi Strawserresearch assistants: Heather Schwarzen, Regenia Spoerndle, Kimberly Leui Kovach, Brenda Emmett, Michelle Smith, Denise Opper, Ginny Donahue, Laura Clark, Lori Lynn Lydell,April Elstrom, Jamin, Laura O Neill, Wendy Hilton, Renee Walker, and Elizabeth Brandteditor: Karen Sargentcover and text layout: Jodie McCaffreycoPywork design: Virginia Donahue, Font: Downhill Publishingcover illustrator: Kim Sponaugle, designer: Molly BrewUnless otherwise noted, all Scriptural references contained in this E-Book are taken from the King James Version of the published work may contain facts, views, opinions, statements, recommendations, hyperlinks, references, Web sites, advertisements, and other content and links or references to external sources (collectively, Content ) not owned or controlled by the publisher, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC ( TOS ).

2 This Content does not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or recommendations of TOS, and any reliance upon such Content is taken at the user s sole risk. TOS and the individual contributors have made reasonable efforts to include accurate, current, family-friendly Content, but TOS makes no warranties or representations as to the accuracy, safety, or value of Content contained, published, displayed, uploaded, downloaded, or distributed through or as part of this publication and assumes no liability or responsibility for the content of linked or referenced sources or for errors or omissions in Content. Users are advised that online content and the user s experience may change during use or over time and are strongly advised to use discernment and wisdom when considering advice and recommendations made in this or any other published work.

3 TOS accepts no responsibility for the actions of third parties or for Content provided, uploaded, linked, or posted by third to Parents: Some of the videos used in this study are posted publicly on YouTube. In the interest of Internet safety, we recommend that when you open the first YouTube video, you click the arrow next to text comments below the video. By doing so, all comments on all videos will be hidden from CuriosiTy Curiosity Files : You Never Wanted to KnowAbout s See How Much You ve the It Write and (elementary)..37. ( )..38. oF Curiosity Files : the in the World?..56 Let s Get on Curiosity Fact Snippet.#1:. Snippet.#2:. All About Learn More?..76 Answer Let .. Curiosity Files : QuicksandAllow me to introduce myself.

4 I m Professor Ana might say that I m eccentric, but not my great lab spies. My research team and I specialize in the obscure, the abnormal, and search land and seas for these oddities, and make each one a insects, rare diseases, unique gems, and more,There are things in God s creation that you ve never seen before!Our goal is to educate children about subjects they d never find otherwise,To get them thinking creatively and give their minds some we present to you this offering and hope it brings some smiles,As you read, learn, and research The Curiosity Ana Curiosity Files : QuicksandEverything YouNever Wanted to KnowAbout quicksand ..You don t have to tell me what quicksand is. I ve seen plenty of movies where people stumble into it and drown. Are you telling me that this stuff is real?

5 Yes quicksand is very real. And yes, people and animals can accidentally find themselves trapped in it. But just to set your mind at ease, you should know this: it s very, very rare for someone to actually die from being submerged in Are you sure? Because in the movies, people step in it and two seconds later, they re up to their necks!I ve seen the same dramatic scenes: a strapping hero blunders unsuspecting through the deep, dark forest. Just as he s inches away from escaping his foe, he finds himself knee-deep in a sticky, slimy pool of something that looks like mud but isn t. The hero yelps, quicksand ! to his trusty assistant, who can t find a long enough tree limb until the hero s head is just about to disappear. Then, just in the nick of time, the joke-cracking sidekick finds the perfect branch and stretches it out.

6 And the hero grasps the offered lifeline and drags himself from certain death. That s the Hollywood version of quicksand , right?Trust me it doesn t quite work this way. quicksand isn t responsible for the thousands of deaths each year that filmmakers would have you believe. People and animals who die after a run-in with a pool of quicksand usually expire from thirst, starvation, or exposure to weather or predators. As a matter of fact, the only recorded deaths related to actually drowning in quicksand have come from people who fell into the stuff headfirst and that s not exactly a common Curiosity Files : QuicksandSeriously? People don t just sink until they re completely submerged? Not exactly. To understand why quicksand isn t nearly as much of a threat as you may have been led to believe, you have to know a little bit more about where you find it and what it s made out , quicksand can occur anywhere in the world where the right conditions present themselves.

7 If you find yourself near damp, saturated ground such as along beaches, marshes, tide pools, and rivers, or if you are in a place where underground springs bubble up, you might encounter quicksand . As long as it s undisturbed, quicksand appears to be what it once was: just normal, everyday the second your foot comes in contact with the surface of that ordinary sand, some very interesting physics come into play. While quick-sand looks normal, it s not. There are four key ingredients that come together to form quick-sand: sand, water, clay, and salt. Pressure on the surface of a pool of quicksand causes it to liquefy, allowing anything on top to sink into it very easily. The sand, salt, and clay then sink to the bottom of the mixture, creating a thick sludge that ultimately prevents the object from sinking further, but makes it very, very difficult to escape.

8 The water floats on top, but this sludgy layer which is now not only under, but also settling on top of whatever was unlucky enough to fall into the quicksand is about twice as dense as the original glop, and it s tightly packed around its victim. In other words, it isn t good news? Most patches of quicksand are only a few feet deep. Even deeper pools don t pose a drowning threat to humans, though. Remember that incredible density I mentioned? Well, it actually works in the fearless hero s favor, it turns out. The density of quicksand is measured at two grams per cubic centimeter. That s exactly double the density of a human being s body--meaning that while a person might sink to his waist, the laws of physics say that he is unlikely to find himself up to his neck in the Curiosity Files : QuicksandA few feet deep?

9 What s the big deal, then? If it s only up to your knees, you can just walk right out of that sounds like it would be the case, the physics of quicksand also have something else to say about that. quicksand is what is known as a non-Newtonian fluid. In the 1700s, Sir Isaac Newton described the properties of ideal fluids: basically, that they would have a constant rate of flow at a given temperature. But quicksand doesn t follow that rule. Instead, it shows prop-erties of being a solid and a liquid--and the more you struggle against it, the more stuck you become!Remember, every tiny millimeter of space in quicksand is completely filled with a super-dense solution that liquefies with movement. Struggling or thrashing will only make a trapped victim sink faster. And trying to walk out is something akin to lifting an elephant with your pinky toe--it s daunting is trying to drag a person out with a horse or truck.

10 Why? The forces required to free the person involved would literally tear them apart. To pull a person s foot out of quicksand requires force equal to lifting a family-sized car. Since it takes just 8 pounds of pressure to snap a bone, you can see the dilemma: the human body simply wasn t made to endure that kind of abuse. Not even the body of a strapping, jungle-trotting action you re just stuck there? Forever?Thankfully, no. With some quick thinking, you can work your way out of the bind of quicksand --no sidekick necessary. Stay away from it! This sounds like a no-brainer, but trust me, it s impor-tant. Remember, you re likely to find quicksand along beaches, the banks of marshes and rivers, or near underground springs. Keep your eyes open for ground that looks unstable.