Capillarity for Dummies
noun
pronunciation: ,kæpə'lærɪtiWhat does Capillarity really mean?
Alright, so "capillarity" is a pretty nifty word to describe the way that liquids can move up or down in really tiny spaces, like in the little tubes in a plant's stem or in a paper towel. It's kind of like when you use a straw to suck up a drink - the liquid travels up the straw because of capillarity.
See, when you look really closely at a tiny tube, you'll notice that the liquid inside the tube doesn't just sit still - it kind of climbs up the walls of the tube. That's because of something called surface tension, which is like a super thin layer that the liquid creates on the inside of the tube. This surface tension makes the liquid "stick" to the walls of the tube and climb up or down, almost like how a lizard can stick to walls and climb up them.
So, capillarity is basically how liquids can defy gravity and move through really small spaces, thanks to surface tension. It's a pretty cool trick that nature uses to help plants get water from the soil all the way up to their leaves, and it's also the reason why a paper towel can soak up a spill and pull the liquid into its fibers. Cool, huh?
See, when you look really closely at a tiny tube, you'll notice that the liquid inside the tube doesn't just sit still - it kind of climbs up the walls of the tube. That's because of something called surface tension, which is like a super thin layer that the liquid creates on the inside of the tube. This surface tension makes the liquid "stick" to the walls of the tube and climb up or down, almost like how a lizard can stick to walls and climb up them.
So, capillarity is basically how liquids can defy gravity and move through really small spaces, thanks to surface tension. It's a pretty cool trick that nature uses to help plants get water from the soil all the way up to their leaves, and it's also the reason why a paper towel can soak up a spill and pull the liquid into its fibers. Cool, huh?
Revised and Fact checked by Michael Miller on 2023-11-13 18:56:12
Capillarity In a sentece
Learn how to use Capillarity inside a sentece
- When you pour water onto a paper towel and it spreads out and soaks the whole towel, that's capillarity.
- Plants use capillarity to draw water up from the soil into their roots through tiny tubes in the plant.
- When you dip a paper clip into water and the water seems to climb up the sides of the clip, that's capillarity in action.
- If you fill a narrow tube with water and the water level inside the tube is higher than the water level outside the tube, that's capillarity at work.
- A sponge soaking up water is a good example of capillarity because the water gets drawn up into the tiny spaces between the sponge material.
Capillarity Synonyms
Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.
Capillarity Hypernyms
Words that are more generic than the original word.