Query: Weather is chaotic because air is light, it has low friction and viscosity, it expands strongly when in contact with hot surfaces and it conducts heat poorly.

Relevant passages:
Weather <=SEP=> Weather is the state of the atmosphere , to the degree that it is hot or cold , wet or dry , calm or stormy , clear or cloudy . Most weather phenomena occur in the lowest level of the atmosphere , the troposphere , just below the stratosphere . Weather refers to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity , whereas climate is the term for the averaging of atmospheric conditions over longer periods of time . When used without qualification , `` weather '' is generally understood to mean the weather of Earth .   Weather is driven by air pressure , temperature and moisture differences between one place and another . These differences can occur due to the sun 's angle at any particular spot , which varies with latitude . The strong temperature contrast between polar and tropical air gives rise to the largest scale atmospheric circulations : the Hadley Cell , the Ferrel Cell , the Polar Cell , and the jet stream . Weather systems in the mid-latitudes , such as extratropical cyclones , are caused by instabilities of the jet stream flow . Because the Earth 's axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane , sunlight is incident at different angles at different times of the year . On Earth 's surface , temperatures usually range ± 40 ° C ( − 40 ° F to 100 ° F ) annually . Over thousands of years , changes in Earth 's orbit can affect the amount and distribution of solar energy received by the Earth , thus influencing long-term climate and global climate change .   Surface temperature differences in turn cause pressure differences . Higher altitudes are cooler than lower altitudes as most atmospheric heating is due to contact with the Earth 's surface while radiative losses to space are mostly constant . Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and a given location . The Earth 's weather system is a chaotic system ; as a result , small changes to one part of the system can grow to have large effects on the system as a whole . Human attempts to control the weather have occurred throughout history , and there is evidence that human activities such as agriculture and industry have modified weather patterns .   Studying how the weather works on other planets has been helpful in understanding how weather works on Earth . A famous landmark in the Solar System , Jupiter 's Great Red Spot , is an anticyclonic storm known to have existed for at least 300 years . However , weather is not limited to planetary bodies . A star 's corona is constantly being lost to space , creating what is essentially a very thin atmosphere throughout the Solar System . The movement of mass ejected from the Sun is known as the solar wind .

Friction <=SEP=> Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces , fluid layers , and material elements sliding against each other . There are several types of friction :  Dry friction resists relative lateral motion of two solid surfaces in contact . Dry friction is subdivided into static friction ( `` stiction '' ) between non-moving surfaces , and kinetic friction between moving surfaces .  Fluid friction describes the friction between layers of a viscous fluid that are moving relative to each other .   Lubricated friction is a case of fluid friction where a lubricant fluid separates two solid surfaces .   Skin friction is a component of drag , the force resisting the motion of a fluid across the surface of a body .  Internal friction is the force resisting motion between the elements making up a solid material while it undergoes deformation .   When surfaces in contact move relative to each other , the friction between the two surfaces converts kinetic energy into thermal energy ( that is , it converts work to heat ) . This property can have dramatic consequences , as illustrated by the use of friction created by rubbing pieces of wood together to start a fire . Kinetic energy is converted to thermal energy whenever motion with friction occurs , for example when a viscous fluid is stirred . Another important consequence of many types of friction can be wear , which may lead to performance degradation or damage to components . Friction is a component of the science of tribology .   Friction is desirable and important in supplying traction to facilitate motion on land . Most land vehicles rely on friction for acceleration , deceleration and changing direction . Sudden reductions in traction can cause loss of control and accidents .   Friction is not itself a fundamental force . Dry friction arises from a combination of inter-surface adhesion , surface roughness , surface deformation , and surface contamination . The complexity of these interactions makes the calculation of friction from first principles impractical and necessitates the use of empirical methods for analysis and the development of theory .   Friction is a non-conservative force - work done against friction is path dependent . In the presence of friction , some energy is always lost in the form of heat . Thus mechanical energy is not conserved .

Liquid <=SEP=> A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a ( nearly ) constant volume independent of pressure . As such , it is one of the four fundamental states of matter ( the others being solid , gas , and plasma ) , and is the only state with a definite volume but no fixed shape . A liquid is made up of tiny vibrating particles of matter , such as atoms , held together by intermolecular bonds . Water is , by far , the most common liquid on Earth . Like a gas , a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container . Most liquids resist compression , although others can be compressed . Unlike a gas , a liquid does not disperse to fill every space of a container , and maintains a fairly constant density . A distinctive property of the liquid state is surface tension , leading to wetting phenomena .   The density of a liquid is usually close to that of a solid , and much higher than in a gas . Therefore , liquid and solid are both termed condensed matter . On the other hand , as liquids and gases share the ability to flow , they are both called fluids . Although liquid water is abundant on Earth , this state of matter is actually the least common in the known universe , because liquids require a relatively narrow temperature/pressure range to exist . Most known matter in the universe is in gaseous form ( with traces of detectable solid matter ) as interstellar clouds or in plasma form within stars .

Viscosity <=SEP=> The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to gradual deformation by shear stress or tensile stress . For liquids , it corresponds to the informal concept of `` thickness '' ; for example , honey has a much higher viscosity than water .   Viscosity is a property of the fluid which opposes the relative motion between the two surfaces of the fluid in a fluid that are moving at different velocities . When the fluid is forced through a tube , the particles which compose the fluid generally move more quickly near the tube 's axis and more slowly near its walls ; therefore some stress ( such as a pressure difference between the two ends of the tube ) is needed to overcome the friction between particle layers to keep the fluid moving . For a given velocity pattern , the stress required is proportional to the fluid 's viscosity .   A fluid that has no resistance to shear stress is known as an ideal or inviscid fluid . Zero viscosity is observed only at very low temperatures in superfluids . Otherwise , all fluids have positive viscosity , and are technically said to be viscous or viscid . In common parlance , however , a liquid is said to be viscous if its viscosity is substantially greater than that of water , and may be described as mobile if the viscosity is noticeably less than water . A fluid with a relatively high viscosity , such as pitch , may appear to be a solid .