Surface Tension — Chapter Summary

Surface tension is the property

Surface tension is the property of a liquid free surface that makes it behave like a stretched membrane and try to minimize area. Quantitatively, T =

Cohesive force is the force

Cohesive force is the force of attraction between molecules of the same substance. It helps explain the shape of solids, coalescence of liquid drops,

Adhesive force is the force

Adhesive force is the force of attraction between molecules of different substances. It explains wetting of glass by water, ink sticking to paper, and

The maximum distance up to

The maximum distance up to which molecules attract each other is called molecular range, about 10^-9 m. A sphere of molecular activity is an imaginary

The angle of contact is

The angle of contact is the angle inside the liquid between the tangent to the solid surface and the tangent to the liquid surface at the point of con