A liquid cannot withstand a shear stress. How does this impty that the surface of a liquid at rest must be level, i.e., normal to the gravitational force?

A liquid cannot withstand a shear stress. How does it explain the fact the surface of a liquid at rent must be leveled?

why does the free surface of a liquid at rest behave like a stretched elastic membrane?

How does the surface tension of a liquid vary with increase in temperature ?

The direction of the force exerted on a surface by a liquid at rest is

A small coin is resting on the bottom of a beaker filled with a liquid. A ray of light from the coin travels up to the surface of the liquid and moves along its surface (see figure ). How fast is the light travelling in the liquid ?

The force of interaction between the molecules of same substance is called cohesive force hile force of interaction between molecules of different substances is called adhesive force . Both the forces are attracive and have a range of about 10 A . If we consider a molecule . A well inside a liquid we find that it is equally attracted by the surrounding molecules in all the directions ( with a sphere of radius 10 Å ) and so it does not experience any resultant force . On or near the surface of a liquid , the molecules do not exist on the free side and so a molecule ( say B ) experiences a resultant force vertically downwards into the liquid . For this reason , the molecules of the surface have a tendency to go into the liquid . Thus , the surface tends to contract and gives rise to surface tension . As surface molecules like B experience a net downward force of cohension and have tendency to go down , so in increasing the area of the surface more molecules are to be shifted to the surface from inside . Thus , more mechnical work will have to be done against the net downward force of cohension . This work is stored by the molecules in the surfaces as potential energy called free surface energy . Furthermore , molcules like P , in contact with the liquid will stick to the solid surface , i.e will meet it if the force of adhesion A is greater than net force of cohension C . The liquid will not the solid surface if C gt A Also , molecules like Q at the surface in contact with the solid will experience a net force of cohension C_(R) . If adhesion A is greater then cohension C_(R) , the resultant force will be F . As the liquid can't support tangential force , F must be perpendicular to the surface of the liquid . So , the menisus will be concave and the angle of contact will be acute ( gt 90^(@)) . However , if adhesion is lesser than cohension , the resultant force F will be directed into the liquid and so the menisus ( which is perpendicular to F as liquid support tangential force ) will be convex and the angle of contact will be obtuse ( gt 90^(@)) A liquid particle B , which is present in the vicinity particle A can exert a force on A if the distance of B from A is