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Capillary Action....?
ok well doing a write up about capillary action
And would just love to get some clarification.
I'm testing how density of the liquid affects how far it rises in the capillary tube.
Basically is Adhesion would be applied when the substance is staying together by iteself and cohesion is when the tube is placed into the beaker and the cohesion is when the substance clings to the wall.
Also I do not understand surface tension at all. Can somebody please explain in simple terms?
And a capillary tube is open at the bottom right?
Some more info on capillary action would be appreciated
1 Answer
- Alan FLv 61 decade agoFavorite Answer
You are wrong at the beginning. Adhesion is the force between two items usually two solid surfaces. Cohesion is the forces between molecules that hold a solid or liquid or gas together.
Cohesive forces apply in all directions, however when you get to the surface they cannot apply upwards, as there are no molecules of liquid there, so there is a residual force. Imagine that this is surface tension.
Capillary attraction is based on surface wetting characteristics of the liquid and the surface of the tube. Water will rise up clean glass but if their is a layer of oil on the glass it will do the opposite. Mercury does not "wet" glass and so the meniscus points the other way.
A capillary tube is open at both ends.
The density of the liquid is the force ( gravity ) opposing the rise up the capillary tube. So the lower the density the higher it will rise. Thought what would happen on the international space station ?
Source(s): School