Puddle
A puddle is a small accumulation of liquid, usually water, on a surface.[1] It can form either by pooling in a depression on the surface, or by surface tension upon a flat surface. Puddles are often characterized by murky water or mud due to the disturbance and dissolving of surrounding sediment, primarily due to precipitation.
A puddle is generally shallow enough to walk through, and too small to traverse with a boat or raft. Small wildlife may be attracted to puddles.
Natural puddles and wildlife
Puddles in
Small wildlife, such as birds and insects, can use puddles as a source of essential moisture or for bathing. Raised constructed puddles,
For some smaller forms of life, such as
Puddles on roads
Puddles commonly form during rain, and can cause problems for transport. Due to the angle of the road, puddles tend to be forced by gravity to gather on the edges of the road. This can cause splashing as cars drive through the puddles, which causes water to be sprayed onto pedestrians on the pavement. Irresponsible drivers may do this deliberately, which, in some countries, can lead to prosecution for careless driving.[3]
Puddles commonly form in
In order to deal with puddles, roads and pavements are often built with a
Physics
Due to the action of surface tension, small puddles can also form if a liquid is spilt on a level surface. Puddles like this are common on kitchen floors. Puddles tend to evaporate quickly due to the high surface-area-to-volume ratio. In cold conditions puddles can form patches of ice which are slippery and difficult to see and can be a hazard to road vehicles and pedestrians.
Children
Puddles are a source of recreation for children, who often like jumping in puddles as an "up-side" to rain.[4][5][6][7] A children's nursery rhyme records the story of Doctor Foster and his encounter with a puddle in Gloucester. Muddy puddles, and the pleasures of splashing mud in them, are a repeated theme in the children's animation Peppa Pig, to the extent of selling character-branded wellington boots.
In legend
Medieval legend spoke of one man who was desperate to find building materials for his house, so he stole
See also
- Black ice
- Puddle (M. C. Escher)
- Puddling (biology)
- Pond, a somewhat larger accumulation of liquid on a surface
- Puddling (engineering)
- Puddling (metallurgy)
- Rill
- Seep (hydrology)
- Spring (hydrology)
References
- ^ "Definition of PUDDLE". 8 January 2024.
- doi:10.1139/z82-043
- ^ Driver fined over puddle splash BBC News, 31 October 2005.
- ^ Siu-Lan Tan (25 March 2014). "Splash! What Kids Discover in a Puddle". Psychology Today.
- Novak Djokovic Foundation.
- ^ Meredith Burton. "Play in a Puddle on a Rainy Day". National Association for the Education of Young Children.
- ^ Catherine O'Dolan (6 August 2010). "The joys of jumping in puddles". Junior.
Further reading
- Adler PH (1982) "Soil and puddle visiting habits of moths" Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society, 36: 161–173.
- Allocco, Maria (1999) "Puddle of light" Phys. Teach. 37: 468.
- McLachlan A and Ladle R (2001) "Life in the puddle: behavioural and life-cycle adaptations in the Diptera of tropical rain pools" Biological Reviews, 76 (3): 377–388.
- Royston, Angela (2005) Water: Let's Look at a Puddle Heinemann/Raintree. ISBN 978-1-4034-7685-2.
- Weiss, Peter (2004) "Piddly puddle peril: Little water pools foil road friction" Science News, 166(20): 308. doi:10.2307/4015763