The property by virtue of which the free surface of a liquid at rest behaves like an elastic stretched membrane tending to contract so as to occupy minimum surface area is known asa)Bernoulli’s principleb)Surface tensionc)Surface energyd)ViscosityCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?

Question

The property by virtue of which the free surface of a liquid at rest behaves like an elastic stretched membrane tending to contract so as to occupy minimum surface area is known asa)Bernoulli&#8217;s principleb)Surface tensionc)Surface energyd)ViscosityCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?

Answer

The property by virtue of which the free surface of a liquid at rest behaves like an elastic stretched membrane tending to contract so as to occupy minimum surface area is known as surface tension. By the definition of surface tension.

Answer

Bernoulli principle is based on enery flowing per unit volume is constant...
surface tension always tries to make accute contact angle so that minimum no of paticles can get in surface.. remember where ever there will be minimum surafe area anseer will be surface tension...
visosity depends on layer and viscosity const...
surface energy basically it is a counter force b/w surface & particles of surface through which they are in contact means enery required to seperate both the surfaces...

Answer

Surface tension:

Surface tension is the property of a liquid that allows it to behave like an elastic stretched membrane. It is defined as the force per unit length acting perpendicular to an imaginary line drawn on the surface of the liquid. This force is responsible for the contraction of the surface, as it tends to minimize the surface area.

Explanation:

When a liquid is at rest, the molecules at the surface experience an unbalanced force due to the cohesive forces between them. These cohesive forces arise due to the intermolecular attractions, such as Van der Waals forces or hydrogen bonding.

Surface energy:

The surface energy of a liquid is the potential energy associated with the molecules at the surface. The molecules in the bulk of the liquid are surrounded by other molecules in all directions, resulting in balanced forces. However, the molecules at the surface are exposed to fewer neighboring molecules, leading to unbalanced forces. This creates a surface energy that tends to minimize the surface area.

Contracting tendency:

Due to the surface energy, the molecules at the liquid surface experience an inward pull, causing the surface to contract. This contracting tendency is similar to that of an elastic stretched membrane, which also tries to minimize its surface area.

Occupying minimum surface area:

The surface tension of a liquid allows it to take up a shape that minimizes the surface area for a given volume. This is evident in various phenomena, such as the formation of water droplets or the capillary action in narrow tubes. In both cases, the liquid adopts a shape that minimizes the surface area, thus reducing the surface energy.

Conclusion:

Surface tension is the property of a liquid that enables it to behave like an elastic stretched membrane, contracting to occupy the minimum surface area. This behavior arises due to the surface energy associated with the molecules at the liquid surface. Understanding surface tension is crucial in explaining various phenomena and applications, such as the formation of droplets, capillary action, and the behavior of soap bubbles.

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