Please explain?

Question

What do you mean by the phenomenon Surface tension

Answer 1

Surface tension is a property of the surface of a liquid that causes it to behave as an elastic sheet. It allows insects, such as the water strider (pond skater, UK), to walk on water. It allows small objects, even metal ones such as needles, razor blades, or foil fragments, to float on the surface of water, and it is the cause of capillary action. An everyday observation of surface tension is the formation of water droplets on various surfaces or raindrops.

The physical and chemical behavior of liquids cannot be understood without taking surface tension into account. It governs the shape that small masses of liquid can assume and the degree of contact a liquid can make with another substance.

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to make it sound easy.. it's somewhat a rubbery surface on the water which is very delicate and can only support extremely light insects or objects :)

Answer 2

"The cohesive forces between liquid molecules are responsible for the phenomenon known as surface tension. The molecules at the surface do not have other like molecules on all sides of them and consequently they cohere more strongly to those directly associated with them on the surface. This forms a surface "film" which makes it more difficult to move an object through the surface than to move it when it is completely submersed.

Surface tension is typically measured in dynes/cm, the force in dynes required to break a film of length 1 cm. Equivalently, it can be stated as surface energy in ergs per square centimeter. Water at 20°C has a surface tension of 72.8 dynes/cm compared to 22.3 for ethyl alcohol and 465 for mercury."

The surface tension of water allows something such as a small insect to remain on the surface, rather than sinking.

Answer 3

Surface tension often refers to water surfaces.  Because water molecules have polar charges they align in such a way that they 'lock hands' and cling together at surfaces.  This allows water to wet and pull itself up a capillary tube and support small objects like 'floating' needles (or even water bugs).  Surface tension may be lost by adding a detergent to the water or heating it toward boiling.  Water surface tension permits the formation of air bubbles as multiple layers of water molecules drain away but impurities (salts etc.) can destroy a film even if it includes soap.  Surface tension also causes raindrops to fall as nearly perfect spheres and for water to fall from a faucet as a column until surface tension can form spherical drops.