English
Karnataka Board PUCPUC Science Class 11

Explain Why A Drop of Liquid Under No External Forces is Always Spherical in Shape

Advertisements
Advertisements

Question

Explain why A drop of liquid under no external forces is always spherical in shape

Advertisements

Solution 1

A liquid tends to acquire the minimum surface area because of the presence of surface tension. The surface area of a sphere is the minimum for a given volume. Hence, under no external forces, liquid drops always take spherical shape.

shaalaa.com

Solution 2

We know that any system tends to remain in a state of minimum energy. In the absence of any external force for a given volume of liquid its surface area and consequently. Surface energy is least for a spherical shape. It is due to this reason that a liquid drop, in the absence of an external force is spherical in shape

shaalaa.com
  Is there an error in this question or solution?
Chapter 9: Mechanical Properties of Fluids - Exercises [Page 268]

APPEARS IN

NCERT Physics Part 1 and 2 [English] Class 11
Chapter 9 Mechanical Properties of Fluids
Exercises | Q 2.5 | Page 268

Video TutorialsVIEW ALL [1]

RELATED QUESTIONS

Derive Laplace’s law for spherical membrane of bubble due to surface tension.


In which of the following substances, surface tension increases with increase in temperature ?

  1. Copper
  2. Molten copper
  3. Iron
  4. Molten iron

The surface tension of water at 0ºc is 75·5 dyne/cm. Find surface tension of water at 25°C. [ α for water = 0·0021/°C ]


Mercury has an angle of contact equal to 140° with soda lime glass. A narrow tube of radius 1.00 mm made of this glass is dipped in a trough containing mercury. By what amount does the mercury dip down in the tube relative to the liquid surface outside? Surface tension of mercury at the temperature of the experiment is 0.465 N m–1. Density of mercury = 13.6 × 103 kg m–3


Show that the surface tension of a liquid is numerically equal to the surface energy per unit
area.


State any two characteristics of the angle of contact


The force of surface tension acts tangentially to the surface whereas the force due to air pressure acts perpendicularly on the surface. How is then the force due to excess pressure inside a bubble balanced by the force due to the surface tension?


The rise of a liquid in a capillary tube depends on

(a) the material
(b) the length
(c) the outer radius
(d) the inner radius of the tube


The contact angle between a solid and a liquid is a property of

(a) the material of the solid
(b) the material of the liquid
(c) the shape of the solid
(d) the mass of the solid


Consider a small surface area of 1 mm2 at the top of a mercury drop of radius 4.0 mm. Find the force exerted on this area (a) by the air above it (b) by the mercury below it and (c) by the mercury surface in contact with it. Atmospheric pressure = 1.0 × 105 Pa and surface tension of mercury = 0.465 N m−1.  Neglect the effect of gravity. Assume all numbers to be exact.


A cube of ice floats partly in water and partly in K.oil (in the following figure). Find the ratio of the volume of ice immersed in water to that in K.oil. Specific gravity of K.oil is 0.8 and that of ice is 0.9. 


Why is the surface tension of paints and lubricating oils kept low?


What will be the shape of the liquid meniscus for the obtuse angle of contact? 


Two spherical rain drops reach the surface of the earth with terminal velocities having ratio 16 : 9. The ratio of their surface area is ______.


The length of a needle floating on water is 2 cm. The additional force due to surface tension required to pull the needle out of water will be (S.T. of water = 7.0 × 10−2 N/m). 


We have three identical perfectly black plates. The temperatures of first and third plate is T and 3T. What is the temperature of second plate if system is in equilibrium?


The excess pressure inside a liquid drop is 500 Nm-2. If the radius of the drop is 2 mm, the surface tension of the liquid is x × 10-3 Nm-1. The value of x is ______.


A liquid drop of density ρ is floating half immersed in a liquid of density d. The diameter of the liquid drop is ______.

(ρ > d, g = acceleration due to gravity, T = surface tension)


Find the work done when a drop of mercury of radius 2 mm breaks into 8 equal droplets. [Surface tension of mercury = 0.4855 J/m2].


The surface tension of boiling water is ______.


Share
Notifications

Englishहिंदीमराठी


      Forgot password?
Use app×