Answer :
Final answer:
Water rises higher in smaller diameter capillary tubes due to the inverse relationship between tube diameter and capillary rise. This is because the capillary forces are favored over gravity in tubes with smaller diameters, resulting in a higher rise for smaller tubes.
Explanation:
In an experiment involving rising water in capillary tubes with different diameters, it was observed that the water rose higher in the tube with a smaller diameter. This phenomenon is explained by the principles of capillary action, which is influenced by the diameter of the tube.
The smaller the diameter, the higher the rise, due to the greater relative effect of surface tension at the water-glass interface compared to the force of gravity pulling down on the column of water. With a larger diameter tube, the weight of the water due to gravity is more significant compared to the upward capillary forces, resulting in a lower rise.
The relationship can be summarized as an inverse one: as the diameter of the capillary tube decreases, the height to which water will rise increases. This is because the capillary rise depends on the perimeter of the tube (which increases linearly with diameter), while the gravitational force depends on the cross-sectional area (which increases with the square of the diameter). Hence, smaller diameter tubes have a larger ratio of perimeter to area, which favors the capillary forces over gravity.
