Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)A floating bridge is formed spontaneously when high voltage is applied to polar fluids in two capillary tubes that were in contact and then separated. This bridge bends under its own weight, and its bending profile was used to calculate its Young's modulus. For electric field intensities of similar to 10(6) V/m, water bridges exhibit viscoelastic behavior, with Young's moduli of similar to 24MPa; dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) bridges exhibited Young's moduli of similar to 60 kPa. The scheme devised to measure the voltage drop across the water bridge for high voltages applied between the electrodes shows that the bulk water resistance decreases with increasing voltage. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.10325Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)CNPq [301.282/2009-9]