TED-Ed: How polarity makes water behave strangely - Christina Kleinberg

The video explains why water is unique due to its polarity, which results in properties like cohesion, adhesion, and hydrogen bonding. These properties allow insects to walk on water and ice to float, enabling aquatic life to survive in winter. Water's polarity is due to the unequal sharing of electrons between oxygen and hydrogen atoms, forming polar covalent bonds. This polarity leads to hydrogen bonds between water molecules and other polar substances, contributing to water's life-sustaining characteristics.

What is the main reason water molecules have unique properties?

• They are non-polar molecules.

• They are polar molecules with unequal electron sharing.

• They have a symmetrical shape.

• They are composed of two oxygen atoms and one hydrogen atom.

What type of bond forms between water molecules due to their polarity?

• Hydrogen bond

• Ionic bond

• Covalent bond

• Metallic bond

What term describes water's ability to stick to itself?

• Adhesion

• Cohesion

• Viscosity

• Surface tension

Why can some insects walk on water?

• They have wings that help them glide over water.

• They can swim quickly across the surface.

• They have special feet that repel water.

• They are light enough to be supported by water's surface tension.

Why does ice float on water?

• Ice is composed of different molecules than liquid water.

• Ice has a higher temperature than liquid water.

• Ice is less dense than liquid water due to hydrogen bonds.

• Ice is denser than liquid water.