QuicksandWhat is quicksand? And how to escape from it...The thought of quicksand often inspires fear in people, since many believe that being caught in quicksand will quickly result in drowning. This is actually not the case. People are lighter than quicksand, and if they do not struggle, they will quickly rise to the top. Further quicksand is just ordinary sand, but it can cause one to sink because it has become oversaturated with water.
Quicksand can occur anywhere in the world but is most likely to occur near a water source, like a creek, river, ocean or lake. When the sand gets a little exposure to water, it actually becomes more finely packed. A little bit of water increases friction in the sand, causing it to bind closely together. This is why people tend to use water when building sand castles, as the water helps maintain the shapes.
However, too much water causes the sand particles to lose friction, and lack of friction means the sand is quicksand. Sand slips apart rapidly when weight is put onto it, as a person stepping on it might do. Hence the term quicksand applies to sand that quickly allows one to sink into it.
Portrayals of quicksand are highly exaggerated, though. People only tend to drown in quicksand if they flail their arms and legs about. This makes them sink because they are literally helping the quicksand split apart. On the other hand, the person who does not panic, and who puts one’s hands and legs slightly apart, moving as slowly as possibly, will not sink under the quicksand. As in water, people are naturally buoyant in quicksand.
Further, quicksand is not a bottomless pit that will suck one down to the earth’s core. In fact, some quicksand is only about two to four feet (about .61-1.22m) deep. This depth can cause some difficulty when one tries to get out. One may notice sometimes it’s a lot easier to get into water, than to get out of water. This is because the density of the water or of quicksand creates a vacuum-like effect. Again the key is moving very slowly in order to get out of the quicksand.
Sometimes quicksand causes problems when it forms under buildings, which have far greater mass than a single person. In times of flooding over sand, theoretically, regular sand could become quicksand, and cause the mass of a building to sink. This sinking might also cause structural instability in the building and precipitate collapse, particularly in instances of earthquakes.
However, the individual need not fear quicksand if he or she remembers “quick sand, slow movement.” Even a person falling headfirst into quicksand is likely to float to the surface quite rapidly if he or she does not struggle. Taken from: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-quicksand.htm
Why does not struggling in quicksand work?
Not struggling and lying flat makes your area bigger.
The bigger the area, force constant, pressure is lower...
The smaller the area, force constant, pressure is lower...
Lying flat makes your area bigger and pressure is lower so you will not sink, but instead, float back up :D
However, struggling, will make your area smaller and pressure is higher, causing you to sink even faster.
Quicksand :P
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