Definition of surface tension in US English:
surface tension
nounˈsərfəs ˈtenSHənˈsərfəs ˈtɛnʃən
The tension of the surface film of a liquid caused by the attraction of the particles in the surface layer by the bulk of the liquid, which tends to minimize surface area.
Example sentencesExamples
- In fact, we would need a revolution in fluid dynamics to make surface tension fit in at all.
- It is proposed that a similar arrangement of protein domains could concentrate the compressive stress arising from surface tension.
- As long as the pressure exerted by an object is low enough, surface tension can support it.
- To get this weak force to effectively push a liquid surface, the team produced a liquid interface with low surface tension.
- The volume of liquid metal is chosen so that liquid metal droplets remain coalesced or separated because of surface tension in the liquid.
- Normally the bubbles are coated to avoid clustering and to prevent surface tension from dissolving the bubbles by pushing the gas out of them.
- The simulations were conducted at constant surface tension and zero normal pressure.
- The film pressure counteracts the surface tension of the air-water interface.
- Thanks to surface tension, a drop of molten metal holds itself together.
- I have long been looking for outstanding problems in the biological sciences in which surface tension is important.
- The lung parenchyma is a connective tissue network that is distorted by surface tension.
- This wetting is a result of very low viscosity and surface tension high enough to be drawn into the cracks and pore structure of concrete by capillary action.
- He's unaware of any other physical mechanism for minimizing a surface besides surface tension.
- It has higher surface tension, which allows it to bead up more which, alone, would allow the formation of a larger drop.
- Water so treated will show a change of temperature, surface tension, viscosity and electrical conductivity.
- Drift retardants reduce drift by increasing the viscosity or surface tension of a spray solution.
- Hydrogen bonds are also responsible for water's high surface tension and specific and latent heats.
- In equilibrium, the surface tension of a vesicle is zero, but surface tension is induced in the bilayer as it flows through the pore.
- For surface tension gradients to be maintained, there must be a strong resistance to surfactant flow at low surface tension.
- Structures can be designed to focus surface tension or hydrophobic attraction as compressive stress.