Question

1. referring to figure 1, notice that water shows capillary attraction, while mercury shows capillary repulsion. using your knowledge of capillary action, propose a reason why the meniscus of mercury appears different than that of water.

Explanation:

Capillary action depends on adhesive and cohesive forces. Water has strong adhesion to glass, causing it to rise and form a concave meniscus. Mercury has stronger cohesive forces within itself than adhesive forces to glass, resulting in a convex meniscus.

Answer:

The difference in meniscus shape is due to the relative strength of adhesive (between liquid - container) and cohesive (within liquid) forces. Mercury has stronger cohesive forces than adhesive forces to glass, while water has stronger adhesive forces to glass than cohesive forces in some cases related to capillary action.