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Capillary action of water (polar) compared to mercury (non-polar), in each case with respect to a polar surface such as glass (≡Si–OH). Capillary action (sometimes called capillarity, capillary motion, capillary rise, capillary effect, or wicking) is the process of a liquid flowing in a narrow space without the assistance of external forces like gravity.
Flotation of objects denser than water occurs when the object is nonwettable and its weight is small enough to be borne by the forces arising from surface tension. [5] For example, water striders use surface tension to walk on the surface of a pond in the following way. The nonwettability of the water strider's leg means there is no attraction ...
Cohesion, along with adhesion (attraction between unlike molecules), helps explain phenomena such as meniscus, surface tension and capillary action. Mercury in a glass flask is a good example of the effects of the ratio between cohesive and adhesive forces.
Water potential is the potential energy of water per unit volume relative to pure water in reference conditions. Water potential quantifies the tendency of water to move from one area to another due to osmosis, gravity, mechanical pressure and matrix effects such as capillary action (which is caused by surface tension).
2.4 Capillary action. 2.5 Viscosity. ... Most nonpolar molecules are water ... Water (H 2 O) is an example of a polar molecule since it has a slight positive charge ...
This occurs between water and glass. Water-based fluids like sap, honey, and milk also have a concave meniscus in glass or other wettable containers. Conversely, a convex meniscus occurs when the adhesion energy is less than half the cohesion energy. Convex menisci occur, for example, between mercury and glass in barometers [1] and thermometers.
Different plant species can have different root pressures even in a similar environment; examples include up to 145 kPa in Vitis riparia but around zero in Celastrus orbiculatus. [13] The primary force that creates the capillary action movement of water upwards in plants is the adhesion between the water and the surface of the xylem conduits.
In fluid statics, capillary pressure is the pressure between two immiscible fluids in a thin tube (see capillary action), resulting from the interactions of forces between the fluids and solid walls of the tube. Capillary pressure can serve as both an opposing or driving force for fluid transport and is a significant property for research and ...