How Does Capillarity Affect Everyday Life and Science?
Capillarity meaning is very simple to understand in terms of hydrodynamics. Capillarity is an invisible force that works against the force of gravity. It pushes a liquid up in a tube or a narrow pipe. This rising of liquid is the capillary action. We call such liquid capillary water because the water follows the principle of capillarity.
In this article, we will learn how to do the capillary definition, discuss the capillary action definition, explain capillary action, understand the capillary water meaning, define capillary action, and understand the capillary action in detail.
Capillarity is the ability of a liquid to move through a second liquid due to attraction, and is one of the fundamental physical properties of all fluids. It can be defined as the rate at which liquids move across a surface (wetted or not) or between two surfaces.
Define Capillary Action
Capillary action is the force or an effort made to push the liquid by fighting the gravitational force of attraction. Also, after a certain amount of time, the liquid falls. This fall occurs when the liquid faces a surface tension.
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For measuring the temperature of our body, we use a clinical thermometer. Generally, a digital thermometer takes 60 seconds to determine the temperature. So, there is another thermometer, which is a mercury thermometer, which displays the temperature in the form of mercury rise. The division at which the mercury rise stops is the ultimate body temperature. So, here, the mercury rise is the capillary action. Here, we also notice that after some time, the mercury falls. So, the rise and fall of mercury is also a capillary action.
In this text, we included the topic ‘surface tension,’ do you know what surface tension is? So, let’s understand this terminology:
Surface Tension
In Physics, the tension on the surface of the film of a liquid occurs because of the attraction of the surface particles by the bulk of the liquid that tries to minimise the surface area of the liquid drop, and this phenomenon is called surface tension. When the surface of the liquid is very strong, the surface tension is applicable and the liquid can hold weight.
In simple words, the definition of surface tension in capillary action definition is as follows:
Surface tension is the ability of liquid surfaces to shrink into the minimum possible surface area. Surface tension allows insects like water striders to swim and slide on a water surface without becoming even partly dipped.
Capillary Water Meaning
Now, we will understand the capillarity water meaning and explain capillary action with the help of real-life applications:
When we pour the kerosene oil in a lantern and the melted wax in a candle, the capillary action forms in the cotton wick and burns.
The coffee powder gets dissolved in water easily because water immediately wets the fine granules of coffee by the action of capillarity.
The water poured into the grassland rises in the uncountable capillaries formed in the stems (Xylem) of plants and trees and reaches the leaves.
The tip or the nib of a pen splits to provide capillary action for the ink to rise, which helps us to write on the paper.
After taking a bath, we use a towel. The action of a towel in soaking up moisture from the body is due to the capillary action; also known as capillary water.
Capillary Action Formula Derivation
The ascent of a liquid column in a capillary tube is given by the following equation:
h = 2Scosθ/rρg − r/3
Now, let’s do the capillary action formula derivation:
If the capillary is very narrow, then we have:
h = 2Scosθ/rρg
Where,
h = height of the capillary tube
r is the radius of the capillary tube,
ρ is the density of the liquid or water,
θ = angle of contact
Here, the angle of contact is the angle between the tangent drawn to the liquid surface at a certain point of contact of liquid and solid inside the liquid.
The angle of contact relies on the nature of both solid and liquid. For the concave meniscus of liquid, the angle of contact will be acute, while for the convex meniscus of liquid, it will be obtuse.
S = surface tension of the liquid/fluid/water
Point To Note:
At equilibrium, the height (h) does not depend on the shape of the capillary when the radius of the meniscus remains unchanged. Due to this reason, the vertical height (h) of a liquid column in capillaries of different sizes and shapes also remains the same.
Now, let’s consider a few cases to see if the liquid rises, falls, or remains unchanged:
If θ < 90°, which means cos θ is positive, so ‘h’ is also positive, i.e. liquid rises in a capillary tube.
If θ > 90°, which means cos θ is negative, so ‘h’ is negative, i.e. liquid falls in a capillary tube.
The rise of liquid in a capillary tube agrees and totally follows the law of conservation of energy.
Do You Know?
We see that at the liquid–air interfaces, surface tension always results from the greater attraction or cohesion of liquid molecules to each other than to the molecules in the air or adhesion.
FAQs on Capillarity Explained: Physics, Formula & Applications
1. What is capillarity in simple terms?
Capillarity, or capillary action, is the natural ability of a liquid to flow into narrow spaces without help from, or even against, external forces like gravity. Think of how a paper towel soaks up a spill; that's capillarity at work, pulling the water into the tiny gaps between the paper fibres.
2. What is the difference between cohesive and adhesive forces in liquids?
Cohesive and adhesive forces are the two key intermolecular forces responsible for capillarity. They differ in what they attract:
- Cohesive force is the attraction between molecules of the same substance. For example, it's the force that holds water droplets together.
- Adhesive force is the attraction between molecules of different substances. For example, it's the force that makes water stick to a glass surface.
Capillary action happens when the adhesive force is stronger than the cohesive force.
3. What are some common real-world examples of capillarity?
You can see capillarity happening all around you. Some common examples include:
- The wick in a lamp or candle pulling up fuel (wax or oil) to the flame.
- Plants drawing water from the soil up through their roots and stems.
- The absorption of ink by blotting paper or a fountain pen nib.
- A sponge soaking up water.
- Tears moving from your eye into the tear duct.
4. Why does water rise in a thin glass tube, but mercury level falls?
This happens because of the balance between adhesion and cohesion. For water in a glass tube, the adhesive force (water sticking to glass) is stronger than its cohesive force (water sticking to itself). This pulls the water up the sides of the tube. For mercury, the cohesive force (mercury atoms sticking strongly to each other) is much greater than the weak adhesive force with glass, causing the liquid to pull inward and the level to drop.
5. How does the angle of contact affect capillary action?
The angle of contact is the angle formed by the liquid at the point where it touches the solid surface of the tube. It tells us whether a liquid will rise or fall.
- If the angle is acute (less than 90°), adhesion is stronger, and the liquid will wet the surface and rise in the tube (like water in glass).
- If the angle is obtuse (greater than 90°), cohesion is stronger, and the liquid will not wet the surface and will be depressed in the tube (like mercury in glass).
6. What is Jurin's Law and what does it explain about capillarity?
Jurin's Law is a formula in physics that calculates the height a liquid will rise or fall in a capillary tube. It explains that the height of the liquid is directly proportional to its surface tension but inversely proportional to the tube's radius and the liquid's density. Essentially, it proves mathematically why liquids rise higher in narrower tubes.
7. Does the size of the tube matter for capillarity to work?
Yes, the size of the tube is very important. Capillary action is most significant in tubes with a very small diameter, often called capillary tubes. As the tube gets wider, the effect of capillarity becomes much weaker and eventually negligible because the weight of the liquid in the wide tube becomes too great for the surface tension and adhesive forces to overcome.
