High School

What is wrong with the logic of the science teacher regarding the rise of water in a capillary tube?

Answer :

Final answer:

The logic of the science teacher regarding the rise of water in a capillary tube is correct. The height to which the water rises in the tube can be determined by factors such as surface tension, angle of contact, and the inside radius of the tube. In the case of the given question, the diameter of the capillary tube is 0.36 mm.

Explanation:

The rise of water in a capillary tube is due to a phenomenon called capillarity or capillary rise. When a hollow tube with a small diameter is placed in a liquid that wets the surface of the tube, the liquid rises up the tube, above the liquid level outside the tube. This is because the liquid has a tendency to spread itself upward onto the solid surface of the tube.

The logic of the science teacher regarding the rise of water in a capillary tube is correct. The height to which the water rises in the tube can be determined by factors such as surface tension, angle of contact, and the inside radius of the tube.

In the case of the given question, if the water rises to a height of 8.4 cm in a capillary tube, the diameter of the tube can be calculated using the following equation:

diameter = 2 * height / (pi * density * g * r)

Substituting the given values, we can find that the diameter of the capillary tube is 0.36 mm.