Influence of viscosity on capillary action
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Observations
Science is happening all around you, even if it's not completely obvious. Some of these phenomena are due to intermolecular forces, or when particles, like atoms and molecules, are attracted to or repelled from each other.
Let's break down some observations in order to see how intermolecular forces make science happen.
Surface Tension
You see that bug walking on water? How in the world is it not falling in?
Water strider walking on water
It's able to walk on water because of surface tension , which means that water molecules on the top of the lake have formed a 'layer' due to intermolecular forces. Intermolecular forces can happen to a variety of substances. Water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The oxygen end of water is slightly negative and the hydrogen end is slightly positive.
The oxygen end of a water molecule is negative while the hydrogen ends are positive.
Because of the charges, water molecules kind of 'stick' together like a magnet. The negative end of one molecule sticks to the positive end of another molecule and so on. The 'sticking' together of these molecules is called cohesion . Now, on the surface of the lake, there are less water molecules to 'stick' to because, instead of water, there is air above the surface. So the water molecules at the surface cohere more tightly to the water molecules next to them because they don't have anything to stick to above them.
This additional 'stickiness' makes the surface of water appear to have a layer or a film that bugs can run across. In reality, that layer is just the result of water molecules sticking together tightly, which makes breaking through the water difficult.
Observations
Science is happening all around you, even if it's not completely obvious. Some of these phenomena are due to intermolecular forces, or when particles, like atoms and molecules, are attracted to or repelled from each other.
Let's break down some observations in order to see how intermolecular forces make science happen.
Surface Tension
You see that bug walking on water? How in the world is it not falling in?
Water strider walking on water
It's able to walk on water because of surface tension , which means that water molecules on the top of the lake have formed a 'layer' due to intermolecular forces. Intermolecular forces can happen to a variety of substances. Water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The oxygen end of water is slightly negative and the hydrogen end is slightly positive.
The oxygen end of a water molecule is negative while the hydrogen ends are positive.
Because of the charges, water molecules kind of 'stick' together like a magnet. The negative end of one molecule sticks to the positive end of another molecule and so on. The 'sticking' together of these molecules is called cohesion . Now, on the surface of the lake, there are less water molecules to 'stick' to because, instead of water, there is air above the surface. So the water molecules at the surface cohere more tightly to the water molecules next to them because they don't have anything to stick to above them.
This additional 'stickiness' makes the surface of water appear to have a layer or a film that bugs can run across. In reality, that layer is just the result of water molecules sticking together tightly, which makes breaking through the water difficult.
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