Water Is Way Stranger Than Most People Realize

Chat with Greg Fridman · Apr 21, 2026 · 9m

This is the third video in my mini-series on plasma surface modification, water contact angle, and water itself.

We use water every day, so it feels ordinary. But scientifically, water is one of the most fascinating liquids there is.

In this video, I talk about:

• why water molecules are polar

• how hydrogen bonding gives water unusual behavior

• why water has such high surface tension

• why ice floats

• why pure water can be surprisingly valuable in research

• why water is such a powerful solvent

• why water is so useful in surface science

• and why, on very short time scales, water behaves…