Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Surface Tension

Surface Tension

Surface tension is defined as the force per unit length (γ) acting along the surface of a liquid. It arises due to strong intermolecular forces of attraction. A molecule located inside the bulk of the liquid is surrounded by other molecules and experiences equal forces in all directions. However, a molecule at the surface experiences unbalanced forces because there are more neighboring molecules below than above. This creates a net inward force that pulls surface molecules toward the interior,...

Surface Tension of Fluid

Surface Tension of Fluid

Surface tension is a fundamental property of fluids, occurring at the boundary between a liquid and a gas or between two immiscible liquids. This phenomenon arises from the cohesive forces between molecules at the fluid's surface, creating an effect similar to a stretched elastic membrane. Inside each fluid, molecules are equally attracted in all directions by neighboring molecules, but surface molecules experience a net inward force, resulting in surface tension.
Surface tension varies with...

Surface Tension and Surface Energy

Surface Tension and Surface Energy

When a paint brush is immersed in water, the bristles wave freely inside the water. When it is taken out, the bristles stick together. The reason behind this effect is surface tension.
Consider a beaker filled with liquid. The bulk molecules in the liquid experience equal attractive forces on all sides with the surrounding molecules. However, the surface molecules experience a net attractive force downward due to the bulk molecules. The surface of the liquid behaves like a stretched membrane,...

Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity

Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity

Surface Tension
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...

Excess Pressure Inside a Drop and a Bubble

Excess Pressure Inside a Drop and a Bubble

The shape of a small drop of liquid can be considered spherical, neglecting the effect of gravity. This drop can further be considered as two equal hemispherical drops put together due to surface tension. The forces acting on the spherical drop are due to the pressure of the liquid inside the drop, the pressure due to air outside the drop, and the force due to the surface tension acting on the two hemispherical drops.

Surface Area Calculations

Surface Area Calculations

Surface area calculations for a graph z = f(x, y) are fundamental in engineering applications involving curved structures such as satellite dishes. A parabolic dish reflects communication signals efficiently, but engineers must determine its exact curved surface area to estimate coating materials, fabrication costs, and structural requirements. Since the rim of the dish forms a circular boundary, the surface area is calculated over a circular domain in the xy-plane.Parametric Representation of...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Optical effects from the menisci of emergent rods in shallow water.

Applied optics·2026

Same author

Light and Color in Nature and Art 2026: introduction to the feature issue.

Applied optics·2026

Same author

Light and Color in Nature 2020: introduction to the feature issue.

Applied optics·2020

Same author

Caustics due to complex water menisci.

Applied optics·2015

Same author

Rainbows in the grass. I. External-reflection rainbows from pendant droplets.

Applied optics·2008

Same author

Rainbows in the grass. II. Arbitrary diagonal incidence.

Applied optics·2008

Same journal

Denoising algorithm of Φ-OTDR systems based on adaptive fractional wavelet transform denoising.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Millisecond photon-to-photon latency and high-speed volumetric projection system for optogenetics.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Polarization-encoded coaxial structured light for high-precision 3D surface profilometry.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Discrete freeform optical design based on collaborative optimization of point cloud and local normals.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Ultrafast ghost imaging with 25 GHz speckle switching and wavelength-division multiplexing.

Optics express·2026

Same journal

Atomic vapor cells fabricated by femtosecond laser welding of standard-optical-quality glass.

Optics express·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Published on: September 9, 2022

Rainbow surface tension analysis.

Charles L Adler¹, Valen A Smith, Natalie M Haddad

¹Department of Physics, St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary's City, MD 20686, USA. cladler@smcm.edu

|June 11, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A novel all-optical, non-contact method measures Newtonian fluid surface tension by analyzing laser diffraction patterns from thin liquid films. This technique offers a new approach for precise surface tension determination.

More Related Videos

Accurate Determination of the Equilibrium Surface Tension Values with Area Perturbation Tests

Accurate Determination of the Equilibrium Surface Tension Values with Area Perturbation Tests

Published on: August 30, 2019

Measurement of Aggregate Cohesion by Tissue Surface Tensiometry

Measurement of Aggregate Cohesion by Tissue Surface Tensiometry

Published on: April 8, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Published on: September 9, 2022

Accurate Determination of the Equilibrium Surface Tension Values with Area Perturbation Tests

Accurate Determination of the Equilibrium Surface Tension Values with Area Perturbation Tests

Published on: August 30, 2019

Measurement of Aggregate Cohesion by Tissue Surface Tensiometry

Measurement of Aggregate Cohesion by Tissue Surface Tensiometry

Published on: April 8, 2011

Area of Science:

Physics
Fluid Mechanics
Optics

Background:

Surface tension is a critical property of fluids.
Existing measurement techniques can be contact-based or complex.
Accurate and non-invasive methods are needed for fluid analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce a new all-optical, non-contact technique for measuring surface tension.
To detail the theoretical basis and practical application of this novel method.
To identify challenges for commercial implementation.

Main Methods:

Utilizing laser diffraction patterns from thin, vertically draining liquid films.
Measuring the spacing of supernumerary fringes in the diffraction pattern.
Employing an all-optical, non-contact approach.

Main Results:

Demonstration of a viable all-optical, non-contact method for surface tension measurement.
Correlation between fringe spacing and fluid surface tension.
Identification of key parameters for accurate measurement.

Conclusions:

The proposed technique offers a promising non-contact alternative for surface tension measurement.
Further development is required to address practical and commercialization challenges.
This optical method has potential applications in various scientific and industrial fields.