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Grex Science Item 97: swimming on oil
Entered by sholmes on Tue May 3 08:05:21 UTC 2005:

Is it possible to swim in(on )  oil ? just like you swim in water.

9 responses total.

#1 of 9 by gull on Tue May 3 13:42:00 2005:

The density is much lower.  I expect you'd sink.

#2 of 9 by rcurl on Tue May 3 18:03:58 2005:

The density of the body with breath exhaled is about 0.99 to 1.07. The lowest
density with breath deeply inhaled drops to as low as 0.90. Oils are less
dense than 0.90 - yes, you'd sink. Wear your PFD.

#3 of 9 by gull on Tue May 3 20:39:19 2005:

What's the density of your PFD? ;)

#4 of 9 by rcurl on Wed May 4 06:44:27 2005:

Mine, I don't know. However the density of polyethylene foam, used for
PFDs, is about 0.03. My density is about .99 (I float with just my face
above water). To float in a fluid of density 0.84 (about that of diesel 
oil), I would require a polyethylene PFD that was about 20% of the volume 
of my body. That's larger than most PFDs, so I guess I would sink. Wear 
*two* PFDs.

#5 of 9 by gull on Wed May 4 18:17:12 2005:

I'm kind of curious why this question came up, to begin with.

#6 of 9 by gull on Wed May 4 18:18:00 2005:

Oh yeah, and you'd better make sure the PFD is oil-resistant.  Petroleum
products dissolve some types of foam, as anyone who has put gasoline in
a styrofoam cup can attest.

#7 of 9 by rcurl on Wed May 4 20:04:11 2005:

That's why I chose polyethylene. Polystyrene would collapse in gasoline,
and besides it is rather brittle.

#8 of 9 by sholmes on Thu May 5 02:57:09 2005:

Re#5 ...well this is how the Q came up. 
one of my friend's nightmare is to drown in a large  vat of oil....

#9 of 9 by rcurl on Thu May 5 06:18:48 2005:

Do you mean he/she has that as an actual dream/nightmare?

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