Water (data page)

Imagine a super-powered liquid that covers most of our planet! That's water. It's not just for drinking or splashing in.

Water is made of tiny building blocks called molecules. These molecules are like little LEGO bricks, and they stick together in special ways. This is why water can be a liquid, like in a puddle, or a solid, like ice, or even a gas, like steam from a kettle.

It's a true shape-shifter!

Scientists think water has been around for a super, super long time, maybe even since the Earth was born! It might have come from icy comets and asteroids that crashed into our young planet billions of years ago. It's like the Earth got a giant drink from space! Over time, this water collected in oceans, rivers, and lakes, making our planet a watery wonderland.

Water has some amazing superpowers. It can dissolve many things, like sugar in your juice, which is why it's called the 'universal solvent'. It also helps keep things cool.

When you sweat, the water evaporating from your skin cools you down. Plus, water is essential for all living things. Plants need it to grow, and animals and people need it to survive.

Without water, life as we know it wouldn't exist!

Water does so much for us! It helps carry nutrients to plants and takes waste away from our bodies. It shapes the land by carving out canyons and moving sand on beaches.

It's also a super important part of science experiments. Scientists study water's properties to understand how it behaves and how we can use it better. All the information about water's properties is collected in special places, like the NIST Chemistry WebBook, for scientists to use.