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Mercury has a very high surface tension and does not easily wet most other surfaces. For a given amount of mercury, a sphere has the smallest possible ratio of surface area to volume and is therefor the lowest energy shape for the mercury.

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4mo ago

Mercury drops are spherical due to surface tension. The cohesive forces between mercury molecules create a pressure balance throughout the drop, causing it to adopt a shape with the least surface area, which is a sphere.

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Q: Why are mercury drops spherical?
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What liquids form spherical drops because of this property?

Liquids with high surface tension, such as water, form spherical drops due to this property. Surface tension is the cohesive force that causes molecules at the surface of a liquid to be drawn inward, creating a spherical shape to minimize surface area.


Why mercury does not stick to tube?

Mercury does not stick to glass because its cohesive forces are stronger than its adhesive forces with the glass surface. This causes the mercury to form spherical droplets in a tube rather than spreading out or sticking to the glass.


Why does the mercury moves up and down the scale as the temperature changes?

Mercury expands and contracts with temperature changes due to its thermal expansion properties. When the temperature rises, the mercury expands, causing it to move up the scale. Conversely, when the temperature drops, the mercury contracts, causing it to move down the scale.


What is meaning of liquid dropper?

A liquid dropper is a tool used to transfer small amounts of liquid, typically in a controlled and precise manner. It consists of a thin tube with a squeezable bulb at one end and a narrow opening at the other end to draw in and dispense liquids. Liquid droppers are commonly used in laboratories, pharmacies, and for administering medications or supplements.


Which subshell letter corresponds to a spherical orbital?

The subshell letter "s" corresponds to a spherical orbital. Spherical orbitals have a symmetrical shape that is centered around the nucleus of an atom, with no distinct orientation in space.

Related questions

Why Mercury is spherical in shape liquid?

The reason mercury droplets are spherical is because they do easily wet other surfaces. For this reason, mercury forms spheres, which have the smallest possible ration of surface area to volume.


Why small water drops are spherical in shape?

Small water drops are spherical in shape due to surface tension. Surface tension is a property of liquids that causes them to minimize their surface area, resulting in a spherical shape for small droplets as it is the shape that has the lowest surface area. This is why small water drops tend to form perfect spherical shapes.


Why is Mercury spherical?

The reason Mercury droplets are spherical is because they do easily wet other surfaces. For this reason, mercury forms spheres, which have the smallest possible ration of surface area to volume.


What are the example of surface tension?

the spherical water drops of a flower.


Which planets has more of a spherical shape?

There are two planets with an almost perfectly spherical shape. They are Mercury and Venus.


What shape is the planet mercury?

Mercury is roughly spherical in shape, like most other planets. Its shape is determined by its gravity, which pulls the planet's material into a compact, rounded form.


What is the radius at the equator of mercury?

It's about 2440 kilometers. Mercury is almost spherical, so the radius is about the same everywhere.


What liquids form spherical drops because of this property?

Liquids with high surface tension, such as water, form spherical drops due to this property. Surface tension is the cohesive force that causes molecules at the surface of a liquid to be drawn inward, creating a spherical shape to minimize surface area.


Why would water form nearly spherical drops onboard the space shuttle or an orbiting space station?

Its surface tension hold it in a logical shape (why is a bubble spherical?)


Is Mercury perfectly round?

Mercury is definitely not perfectly round. All of our photos of Mercury show that it's covered in craters which cause ridges to form all over the planet. This means that it's not perfectly round.


Why the rain drops are spherical?

Raindrops are initially shaped as spheres due to the surface tension of water, which pulls the droplet into the most efficient shape possible. As raindrops fall, air resistance can distort their spherical shape slightly, but gravity forces them back into a more spherical form. This shape allows the raindrops to fall more easily through the air.


Liquids from spherical drops because of this property?

Surface tension is the property that causes liquids to form spherical drops. This is due to the molecules at the surface of the liquid being more attracted to each other than to the surrounding air, causing them to minimize surface area and form a sphere.