surface tension

1. A property of liquids arising from unbalanced molecular cohesive forces at or near the surface, as a result of which the surface tends to contract and has properties resembling those of a stretched elastic membrane.

2. A measure of this property.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

surface tension

1. (General Physics) a property of liquids caused by intermolecular forces near the surface leading to the apparent presence of a surface film and to capillarity, etc

2. (General Physics) a measure of this property expressed as the force acting normal to one side of a line of unit length on the surface: measured in newtons per metre. Symbol: T, γ or σ

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sur′face ten′sion

the elasticlike force existing in the surface of a body, esp. a liquid, tending to minimize the area of the surface and manifested in capillarity, constriction of the surface, etc.

[1875–80]

sur·face tension

(sûr′fəs)

A property of liquids whereby their surfaces behave as if they were covered by a thin, elastic film. Surface tension is caused by the uneven attraction that molecules at or near the surface of a liquid have for each other. Because of surface tension, small objects can be supported by the surface of a liquid without sinking. Insects, for example, can walk across the surface of a pond because of the surface tension of water. Surface tension also causes drops of a liquid to be shaped like spheres, since spheres have the least amount of surface area possible.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

surface tension

1. Within a liquid, molecules attract each other equally in all directions. At the surface, however, there is no force attracting them outwards, so the molecules are pulled towards the interior of the liquid.

2. The cohesion of a liquid’s surface caused by the inward attraction of its molecules.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

surface tension - a phenomenon at the surface of a liquid caused by intermolecular forces

physical phenomenon - a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy

capillarity, capillary action - a phenomenon associated with surface tension and resulting in the elevation or depression of liquids in capillaries

interfacial surface tension, interfacial tension - surface tension at the surface separating two non-miscible liquids

Translations

tension superficielle

surface tension

n (Phys) → tensione f di superficie

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

This next generation HAMR uses multifunctional foot pads that rely on surface tension and surface tension induced buoyancy when HAMR needs to swim but can also apply a voltage to break the water surface when HAMR needs to sink.

Robotic Cockroach Explores Underwater

The surface of water is covered with an invisible "skin" called SURFACE TENSION. You can imagine surface tension as a sheet of thin rubber stretched tight.

The Swimmers and the Soap

Critique: Written by an author with a genuine flair for narrative driven storytelling, Mike Mullin's "Surface Tension is an inherently engaging read from first page to last in a novel with truly memorable characters, realistic scenarios, and more plot twists and turns than a Cony Island roller coaster.

Surface Tension

The classic approach to improve substrate wetting is to use an additive, which reduces the surface tension of the coating to be applied.

Next-Generation Additives: Improve recoatability of cured coatings

A specific concentration of NaCl (2-10%, w/v) was added and surface tension was determined as previously stated.

Production and characterization of a biosurfactant produced by Streptomyces sp. DPUA 1559 isolated from lichens of the Amazon region

Dodecyl polyoxyethylene acrylate (DPA) is a nonionic polymerizable surfmer monomer, and its water solution even has high dissolving ability and low surface tension under high mineralization condition.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Aqueous Properties of an Amphiphilic Terpolymer with a Novel Nonionic Surfmer

In all the above studies, the wave motion in the water region is investigated excluding the effect of surface tension and porosity of the bottom.

Water-waves Scattering by Permeable Bottom in Two-layer Fluid in the Presence of Surface Tension

For example, water has a surface tension of 73 mJ/[m.sup.2] compared to 20-40 mJ/[m.sup.2] for organic solvents.

Thoughts on Waterborne Industrial Coatings

To date, the formation of faceted macrosteps near equilibrium has been considered to be due to the effects of anomalous surface tension. 4H-SiC can be used as an example for understanding the importance of controlling the dynamics of macrosteps on a vicinal surface near equilibrium.

Profile of a Faceted Macrostep Caused by Anomalous Surface Tension

The Surface Tension. Using the CSF (continuous-surface-force) method, the expression is

Study on the Instability of Two-Phase Flow in the Heat-Absorbing Tube of Trough Solar Collector