CAPILLARYACTION

Capillary action

Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without the assistance of, and in opposition to, external forces like gravity. The effect can be seen in the drawing up of liquids between the hairs of a paint-brush, in a thin tube, in porous materials such as paper, in some non-porous materials such as liquified carbon fiber, or in a cell. It occurs because of intermolecular forces between the liquid and solid surrounding surfaces. If the diameter of the tube is sufficiently small, then the combination of surface tension and adhesive forces between the liquid and container act to lift the liquid.In short the capillary action is due to the ...

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capillary action

Noun

  1. The drawing of a liquid (often against gravity) into or up narrow interstices due to surface tension


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: capillary action
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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