Mercury falls in a capillary tube due to the combination of capillary action and gravity. Capillary action is the tendency of a liquid to be drawn up into a narrow tube against the force of gravity. When the adhesive forces between the mercury and the walls of the capillary tube are greater than the cohesive forces within the mercury, the mercury will move downward in the tube.
Atmospheric pressure pushes the mercury up in a tube of a mercury barometer. When atmospheric pressure increases, the mercury in the tube is pushed up, and when atmospheric pressure decreases, the mercury falls back down.
The rise around the edges is called the meniscus, like capillary action this is caused by the adhesion of the liquid molecules to the walls of the container. In a large bore tube like a test tube or graduated cylinder this pulls up the edge and creates a concave meniscus, in a smaller bore tube this actually pulls the liquid toward the top of the tube.
Water has the greatest capillary action due to its strong hydrogen bonding and cohesive properties, allowing it to easily move through narrow spaces and against gravity. Other liquids with high capillary action include mercury and ethanol.
Mercury is a dense liquid at room temperature, so gravity is not strong enough to overcome the surface tension and adhesion forces holding it in place inside the thermometer tube. This allows the mercury to "stick" to the walls of the tube and not flow down when the thermometer is turned upside down.
Hydrogen Bonding
This happens due to the difference in adhesive and cohesive forces. Water molecules are more attracted to the walls of the tube (adhesive forces) than to each other (cohesive forces), causing water to rise. Mercury has stronger cohesive forces compared to adhesive forces, so mercury is more attracted to itself than to the walls of the tube, causing it to be depressed or fall in the capillary tube.
No, mercury is not always contained in a capillary tube. It can be found in devices like thermometers, barometers, and some electrical switches where it is used due to its unique properties, such as being a liquid at room temperature. Mercury can also be found in other forms in devices, such as sealed containers or as a component in some medical instruments.
Mercury is more dense than water.
The thermometer consists of a very fine glass tube having a very small bore and is called capillary tube. At one end of capillary tube a very thin glass bulb is provided. The bulb is filled with mercury( most of the times) or alcohol The other end of capillary tube is sealed. The capillary tube is protected by a thick glass tube called stem. On the stem are made markings. These markings are called graduations or degrees.
Mercury doesn't fall in thermometers because it is sealed within a capillary tube along with a small amount of air. As the temperature changes, the mercury expands or contracts, moving up or down the tube to indicate the temperature. This design keeps the mercury contained and allows it to accurately measure temperature.
the height of a capillary tube is not dependent on
thermometer consisting of mercury contained in a bulb at the bottom of a graduated sealed glass capillary tube marked in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit; mercury expands with a rise in temperature causing a thin thread of mercury to rise in the tube
A precision capillary tube with a graduated scale and a liquid such as mercury or alcohol that will expand as the temp increases.
The capillary tube is fixed in the Ostwalds viscometer is for passing the liquid.
A fluid expansion thermometer consists of a bulb filled with a liquid, typically mercury or alcohol, connected to a capillary tube. As the temperature increases, the liquid in the bulb expands and rises up the capillary tube. The temperature is read by measuring the height of the liquid in the tube, which corresponds to the temperature scale on the thermometer.
A thermometer is typically made up of a glass tube filled with a liquid such as mercury or alcohol. The liquid expands and rises in the tube as the temperature increases, allowing the user to read the temperature from the scale on the side of the thermometer.
The capillary tube is used on the inside of the refrigerators. It is a long copper tubing that is used as a thruster.