Avish Zindal Week 12 - Watered Down or Powered Up?
“Pure water can melt her,” so “SOMEBODY GO AND MELT HER!”
While the above are lines from the musical Wicked, and water alone cannot melt anyone outright, water does have the ability to do quite a bit. Consistent force over time can allow for water to complete tasks that are not easily accomplished otherwise. Being able to harness water effectively gives great power to people, both on the scale of a whole civilization and at the level of individual tasks that must be completed.
Historically, this has been true, as those societies who effectively learned the ways to manage water achieved dominance—if only temporarily. The Ming Dynasty successfully navigated the oceans and made great advances in maritime travel, showing their power and dominance of the seas. The Romans had a vast system of aqueducts that allowed them to develop rich and densely populated cities far from a water source. Even naturally, water can carve rock like with the Grand Canyon, and it can break down almost any substance over time.
The same goes today. Major cities have intricate plumbing systems that provide power to the city without needing a water source right next to the city. Maritime technology is vital to global trade, military operations, and certain research operations.
Most industries need to harness water in order to successfully operate. Hydraulic systems are an important part of most modern machines, and water is crucial as a coolant for almost all reactors—whether they be nuclear, coal, or gas powered. In high power cutting and machining, water sprays and floods are often used to cool both the cutter and the material being cut, but high pressure water jets are often used as a cutting tool for thin sheets of material.
As water provides so much power, it is vital that the distribution and use of it is protected. Not only is it crucial to industry, water is necessary for humans to stay alive. With this need for water in all parts of life, it is important to create better ways of transporting water efficiently and using water to improve the quality of our life.
Hello, Avish! I found it interesting how both you and Brody explored the power water holds, but the two of you explored the different aspects and effects of this liquid: while the former blog studied the ways people utilize water as an everyday resource (whether that is for health or leisure reasons), the latter blog—or this one—delves into how people have historically used water for industrial purposes. I liked how you led into this topic with a quote from Wicked; I’m sure this captured the attention of many such as myself. Continuing, when I think of water, I think of it as the sustenance that keeps me hydrated and alive, so I was fascinated by the historical usages that water has gone through. I appreciate how you explore the past, from the Ming Dynasty and Roman Empire to the formation of the Grand Canyon, because I am sure the implications of water were not the first topic we thought of as we went through historical and geographical lessons in previous classes. As someone who takes AP Environmental Science, I also appreciated how you brought up the ways in which water is used for energy. As I learned in that class, water is relevant to all sectors of society: for instance, small-scale hydros are often used to generate electricity for regions with not much land area but have running water. Thank you for your blog this week, and I cannot wait to read more from you.
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