Why Do You Sink In Quicksand?

Hey folks!

When a solid object, such as wood, is placed in a liquid such as water, it will float if it's density is less than the density of water. If it sinks, it is more dense, or heavier. If an object is made of many things such as a bag of wood, metal, plastic, etc.,  whether it floats or sinks depends upon its average density.

It is strange coincidence that the average density of the human body is very, very slightly less than the density of water. The difference is so small that if you remain still when in deep water and keep your body vertical as when standing on land, you would drown because your mouth and nose would be under water and you could not breathe. Only the top of your head would be above the  water level. If you wish to float remaining perfectly still, you must get yourself into an almost perfectly horizontal position so that the front of your face is  out of the water. Floating is much more easier if you move~flutter your legs and extend your arms outward, sometimes "rowing" yourself through the water. 

Quicksand looks like solid sand, but it's not. It is a mixture of water and sand, and acts more like a liquid than solid. Water fills the spaces between the roughly-shaped grains of sand which touch each other in only a few places. Quicksand looks solid, so people run or walk onto it without realizing at first that they are beginning to sink.

It is possible to float in quicksand, but no one would want to. It is best to avoid it. People caught in quicksand should not panic. They should try to bend their knees and lie on their backs, imitating a floating position in water. If they are confident enough to relax their legs, they will rise again until their whole body floats.

Photocredit: wikihow.com

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