Liquid Matter (States of Matter) - Tapa dura

Liquids are actually quite rare in nature, when considered on a cosmic scale. Stars are plasmas (the fourth state of matter); giant planets are mainly gases, with frigid liquids occurring only at great depths below their cloud tops; terrestrial (small) planets are generally solid and rocky; and the giant molecular clouds found in interstellar space contain mostly hydrogen and helium gas. With a focus on several important liquids, including water, blood, oil, and mercury, Liquid Matter highlights the most important scientific principles upon which the field is based, and identifies the wide range of applications that fluid science plays in almost all professional scientific and engineering fields. <\p>

Joseph A. Angelo, Jr., an adjunct professor in the College of Engineering at Florida Tech, received a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Arizona. He is the author of several books for Facts On File/Checkmark Books, including The Dictionary of Space Technology and the Encyclopedia of Space Exploration. He lives in Indialantic, FL.