VISCOSITY OF LIQUIDS
 

Some liquids are “runnier” than others. You know there is a difference at room temperature between, say, water and thick molasses. If you fill a glass with water and another glass with an equal amount of molasses and then pour the contents of both glasses into the sink, the glass containing the water will empty much faster. The molasses is said to have higher viscosity than the water at room temperature. On an extremely hot day, the difference is less obvious than it is on a cold day, unless, of course, you have air conditioning that keeps the air in your house at the same temperature all the time.
Some liquids are far more viscous even than thick molasses. An example of a liquid with extremely high viscosity is hot tar as it is poured to make the surface of a new highway. Another example is warm petroleum jelly. These substances meet the criteria as defined above to qualify as liquids, but they are thick indeed. As the temperature goes down, these substances become less and less liquid-like and more solid-like. In fact, it’s impossible to draw an exact line between the liquid and the solid phases for either of these two substances. They aren’t like water; they don’t freeze into ice and change state in an obvious way. As hot tar cools, where do we draw the line? How can we say, “Now, this stuff is liquid,” and then 1 second later say, “Now, this stuff is solid,” and be sure of the exact point of transition?