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Capillary Action for Dummies

noun

pronunciation: 'kæpə,lɛri_'ækʃən

What does Capillary Action really mean?

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Alright, so, capillary action... it's like when you have a sponge and you put it in some water, and then you notice the water starts spreading through the sponge even though you didn't pour it directly on every part of the sponge. That's kind of like capillary action!

So, capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without the help of, say, gravity. It happens because of the forces of adhesion and cohesion. Adhesion is when a liquid sticks to something else, like how water sticks to the sides of a narrow tube. And cohesion is when the molecules of a liquid stick together, which makes the liquid form a sort of "chain" and move through those narrow spaces.

This action can be seen in many everyday things, like when plants absorb water from the soil up through their roots thanks to capillary action, or when a paper towel soaks up a spill. It's a cool little phenomenon that happens all around us!

Revised and Fact checked by William Rodriguez on 2023-11-13 18:54:36

Capillary Action In a sentece

Learn how to use Capillary Action inside a sentece

  • When you dip one end of a paper towel in water, you can see the water move up the paper towel, this is capillary action.
  • Plants use capillary action to bring water from the roots up to the leaves.
  • A sponge absorbs water through capillary action as the water moves up the small openings in the sponge.
  • When you place a straw in a glass of water, you can see the water rise up inside the straw, this is capillary action.
  • Ink moves through the small channels in a piece of paper through capillary action when you write with a pen.

Capillary Action Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

Capillary Action Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.