My 8-year-old son asked this question and i couldn’t give him a definite answer. So he’s wondering if it would do the same thing as a balloon pushed underwater in the bathtub (which kind of makes sense to me, due to the density differences, not just gravity alone).

But I told him I’d ask those more knowledgeable than me.

  • mipadaitu@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 month ago

    This assumes you have relatively normal air temperature and pressure.

    Things change quite a bit if you interpret space to mean “open vacuum of space”

    Then you have to decide if you mean orbit exposed to solar radiation, or interstellar exposed to galactic radiation. Or just in null gravity with null radiation.

    This question can have a lot of answers depending on context.

    • deo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      30 days ago

      if you’re not at relatively normal temperature and pressure, then you won’t have liquid water anyway. and i don’t think the kid was asking about water vapor or one of the various forms of ice.

      • BearOfaTime@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        1 month ago

        Depends on if the kid meant “in space” or “on something like the space station”.

        Kids being kids, he probably literally meant space, not realizing the implications of water (possibly) becoming gaseous from lack of pressure (I assume?).

        For that age, it would be a good learning experience to explain in a spaceship vs in space - just not the triple point of water, or the different ices, etc.

        • catloaf@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          29 days ago

          Not realizing the implications, he probably meant “in zero gravity”.