The capillary rise of mercury inside a narrow-bore tube is proportional to (where d = tube diameter, ζ = mercury surface tension)____________________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: C. ζ
Explanation
Capillary rise or depression in narrow tubes is directly proportional to liquid surface tension magnitude. Force balance between upward surface tension and downward gravity dictates that height scales with surface tension. Mathematical derivation from Jurin law shows capillary height is directly proportional to surface tension. Surface tension arises from intermolecular cohesive forces acting on the liquid surface interface. Contact angle between the liquid and tube wall determines whether capillary action causes a rise or depression. Mercury exhibits a convex meniscus because cohesive forces exceed adhesive forces with the glass tube.
Soil scientists study capillary action to understand groundwater movement through fine pores in earth materials. Medical laboratory technicians use capillary tubes to collect small blood samples for diagnostic testing. Textile engineers analyze fabric wicking properties using fundamental principles of liquid surface tension. Option A is incorrect because capillary rise is inversely proportional to tube diameter rather than proportional. Option B is wrong because tube diameter appears in the denominator of the capillary height equation. Option D is incorrect because surface tension appears in the numerator rather than the denominator.
- Subject
- Engineering
- Category
- Chemical Engineering
- Topic
- —
- Difficulty
- medium
Related questions
Q1. The storage capacity of a hydraulic accumulator is quantified by its maximum_____________________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: A. Amount of energy stored
Hydraulic accumulators store fluid under pressure to supply high volume demands during peak operational cycles. Storage capacity is quantified by the maximum amount of hydraulic potential energy the unit can hold. Energy...
Q2. Buoyant force acts in a direction that is__________________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: C. Depends on the weight of the floating body
Archimedes' principle states that the buoyant force on a submerged body is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body, acting vertically upward through the center of buoyancy.
Q3. According to the Buckingham-π theorem, any physical phenomenon involving 'n' variables and 'm' fundamental dimensions can be expressed using _____________ independent dimensionless groups?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: C. n-m
Buckingham pi theorem states that dimensionless groups equal total variables minus fundamental dimensions. Mathematical proof of the theorem relies on dimensional matrix rank reduction to find independent products. Subtr...
Q4. Brownian motion becomes prominent for particles settling in fluids when their size falls within the range of _____________ microns?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: B. 0.01 to 0.10
Brownian motion becomes noticeable and impacts the behavior of very small suspended particles when their size is in the colloidal range of approximately 0.01 to 0.10 microns.
Q5. To prevent cavitation in a centrifugal pump, one must ensure that the__________________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: A. Inlet pressure high
High inlet pressure ensures that static pressure throughout pump suction remains above liquid vapor pressure. Preventing local pressure drops stops vapor bubbles from forming inside the low pressure eye of the impeller....
Q6. How does the boundary layer thickness vary with distance (d) in laminar fluid flow across a flat plate (where d = distance from the leading edge)?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: A. √d
Laminar boundary layer thickness grows in direct proportion to the square root of the downstream distance. Blasius analytical solution for laminar flat plate flow confirms the exact square root distance dependence. Visco...