Module One Post Fifteen (Surface Tension of Water)

Surface Tension

While I was by a pond this summer, I saw insects standing on the surface of the water. After some searching, I find that the insect named water strider is able to stand on water due to water`s surface tension despite its denser body mass than water. This tension is due to the cohesive nature of water molecules that provides a strong cohesive force between the water molecules. When the water strider is exerting force on water, surface tension pushes back, creating a net force of zero. This contributes to the interesting phenomenon that I have observed at the pond.

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