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Another way of asking: Why does someone "belly flop" when they hit the surface of a pool on their stomach rather than just going straight into the water?

Does it have something to do with the surface tension? Hydrogen bonding? Surface area of the projectile? I have a decent understanding of chemistry but I am having difficulty explaining this phenomenon.

Thank you for reading!

magicmq
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  • Maybe inertia and viscosity? The water is too heavy and thick-flowing to move away quickly. – Steeven Dec 13 '17 at 07:04
  • I once heard it's due to surface tension. – jjack Dec 13 '17 at 08:39
  • Title and body ask two different thinks. One is about inertia as answered. One is about intramolecular forces and act even if there is not relative motion between the floating leef and the pond .... – Alchimista Dec 13 '17 at 09:42

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it's because water has inertia. This means that if you hit it full-on at speed, it can't get out of your way fast enough to prevent you from being injured... in this context, consider the fact that with a sufficiently fast tow boat, you can water ski with your bare feet: the water under your feet exerts enough pressure on the bottom surface of your feet to support your weight, as long as you are going fast enough.

niels nielsen
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