What grows when it eats , but dies when it drinks
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The answer to the riddle “What grows when it eats, but dies when it drinks?” is fire.
Fire grows larger when it consumes (or “eats”) fuel, such as wood or other combustible materials. As fire burns, it spreads and becomes more intense, feeding off the fuel. However, when fire is exposed to water (which is often described as “drinking”), it is extinguished. Water removes the heat needed to sustain the chemical reaction of combustion and cools the fire down. Once the fire cools to a certain temperature, it can no longer continue the combustion process, causing it to die out.
This process works because fire is essentially a chemical reaction between oxygen and a fuel source, generating heat and light. The presence of water interferes with the fire’s ability to maintain this reaction. Water absorbs a significant amount of heat energy, which is why it is commonly used to extinguish fires.
In the natural world, this principle is crucial for understanding fire behavior, especially in wildfire management. Certain areas use controlled burns to clear vegetation, which can help prevent larger, uncontrolled fires later. But in other contexts, like a small house fire, water is the preferred method of extinguishing the flames.
In essence, fire relies on consuming fuel to sustain itself and is killed by the introduction of water, which inhibits the reaction that powers the fire.
