Monday, May 23, 2011

Adhesion/ Surface Tension/ Cohesion: Backyard 5/18/11

The water molecules form hydrogen bonds with one another because they are polar. This means that the oxygen has a slight negative charge, where the hydrogens have a slight positive charge. Since opposites attract, the hydrogens of one water molecule are attracted to the oxygen of another water molecule. This property of water is called cohesion, the ability for water to form hydrogen bonds with other water molecules. The cohesion of water allows the water molecules to form droplets seen in the picture above. Another property of water, adhesion, can be seen above as well. The water "sticks" to the leaves because it is adhesive. The parts of the water molecules are attracted to the leaves, causing it to stay on the leaf without falling off onto the ground. Surface tension is also seen in these water droplets, because the water stays in the form of a droplet without the surface breaking and the water dispersing across the leaf. This property of water is also due to hydrogen bonds between water molecules.

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