Causes of surface tension?

[weknowthewor]

Hi there,

 

I have seen surface tension on the water surface on earth does it exists on mars too?

 

Thanks.. for help

[Klaynos]

Yes, water tension is not an earth anomaly. It is to do with the intermolecular bonding of the water molecules.

[insane_alien]

surface tension happens with ALL liquids EVERYWHERE. there are no exceptions, just variations on the strength of it.

[Mokele]

surface tension happens with ALL liquids EVERYWHERE. there are no exceptions, just variations on the strength of it.

 

What about liquid forms of noble gasses, like liquid Helium? I mean, the atoms don't bond to anything or really interact at all, so would there be any surface tension?

 

Mokele

[insane_alien]

yes, there is. in order for the noble elements to form liquids, there must be some form of molecular(atomic in this case) attraction. if there is an attraction, then the surface atoms are pulled preferentially towards the rest of the liquid.

 

Granted in the case of the noble gases this firce hapens to be very very weak but it IS there.

[Klaynos]

Just to second insane_alian, yep if it's liquid, it's got a surface tension. There has to be intermolecular forces to form a liquid in the first place... (obviousely in the case of nobel gases the molecules arn't infact molecules but atoms, so interatomic forces)

[Bignose]

Any fluid will have some surface tension, even gases will-- though it is several order of magnitudes smaller than a liquid's. And while noble gases are very non-interactive, none are exactly perfect. Obviously, it is a much more important phenomenon for fluids. For that matter, solids have a surface tension-like quantity sometimes called spall strength. Both surface tension and spall strength have units of energy per unit surface area.

 

One professor I know if working on a self-cleaning windshield using surface tension. From the bottom to the top of the windshield is a gradient of a chemical on the surface. The drop of water is more attracted to the top of the water than the bottom -- and this attraction force is greater than gravity. Hence the drop rolls up the windshield and over the top -- no wiping needed. Right now, he's demonstrated this effect on an opaque windshield; he needs to find a chemical that will remain clear and retain its attraction when dry.