What is Meniscus: Definition and 17 Discussions

A meniscus is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous anatomical structure that, in contrast to an articular disc, only partly divides a joint cavity. In humans they are present in the knee, wrist, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints; in other animals they may be present in other joints.
Generally, the term "meniscus" is used to refer to the cartilage of the knee, either to the lateral or medial meniscus. Both are cartilaginous tissues that provide structural integrity to the knee when it undergoes tension and torsion. The menisci are also known as "semi-lunar" cartilages, referring to their half-moon, crescent shape.
The term "meniscus" is from the Ancient Greek word μηνίσκος (meniskos), meaning "crescent."

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  1. M

    MATLAB Efficient Meniscus Line Detection in MATLAB - Simple and Automated Method

    Hi PF! Do any of you know a good way to detect the meniscus of the attached image (in MATLAB)? I have a very ghetto method, and would like something more automated. Thanks for your help!
  2. Ozen

    Concentric Meniscus Lenses Design

    Hello Everyone, I have been working on a lens design that requires a concentric meniscus lens. Initially I was under the impression that r1 should equal r2 for the light to exit at infinity when entering at infinity. However my ray diagram shows different, it shows the light is being bent...
  3. E

    B Meniscus formation in a beaker

    I will refer to this paper for some relevant bits of theory. They write that the component of the force between the solid and liquid parallel to the solid-liquid interface, which appears near the contact line (in the dotted region), is ##\gamma_{SV} + \gamma_{LV} - \gamma_{SL}##, which by...
  4. C

    Measuring Height of Meniscus in Capillary Action

    I've been reading up on capillary action in a tube, and I have some questions: Say we insert a tube in a pool of fluid; Jurin's Law expression is ##h=\frac{2\sigma \cos \phi}{r\rho g}##. However, this height is not the height of the fluid measured from the bottom of the tube, but rather the...
  5. A

    I Meniscus Formation: Increase Free Surface Area of Water

    For water in a tube wouldn't meniscus formation increase the free surface area of water
  6. H

    I What is the effect of a square transparent rectangle on the meniscus in a tube?

    Hi, I was wondering about the meniscus we get in a round tube, like a test tube or a boiling tube, or even a classic measuring cylinder. If we have a square transparent rectangle with water in - would this at all reduce the effect of the meniscus? How else is the effect of the meniscus reduced...
  7. GiantSheeps

    Experimental Error in Archimedes Principle Lab

    Homework Statement I need to find three potential reasons for my .5% error in a lab where I used the Archimedes Principle to measure the density of Iron. We only used a graduated cylinder full of water and an iron mass. I measured the water level from the meniscus. We used two different...
  8. B

    Converging Meniscus Lens, Filled with Fluid

    Homework Statement A converging meniscus lens is made of glass with index of refraction n = 1.55, and its sides have radii of curvature of 4.5 cm and 9 cm. The concave surface is placed upward and filled with carbon tetrachloride which has index of refraction n' = 1.46. Using the result in...
  9. J

    Excess pressure on the concave side of the meniscus

    Why is there excess pressure always on the concave side or surface of the meniscus? In my book it is also written that excess pressure balance the vertical resultant forces due to surface tension. How can a pressure balance a force? My teacher said that shape of meniscus does not depend on...
  10. E

    Focal length of converging meniscus lens filled with a liquid

    Homework Statement A converging meniscus lens is made of glass with index of refraction n = 1.55, and its sides have radii of curvature of 4.5 cm and 9 cm. The concave surface is placed upward and filled with carbon tetrachloride which has index of refraction n' = 1.46. Determine the focal...
  11. A

    Capillary action meniscus height in a tube fitted inside another tube?

    Hello, I was thinking about how would capillary action change in a tube (classic example) and in a tube fitted inside another tube (considering water as the liquid involved). This is no homework question, it's just a thought which striked my mind but I don't have sufficient basic knowledge...
  12. M

    Forces acting on body placed in meniscus

    I have a question regarding forces in meniscus. Lets assume we have capillary 1cm in diameter. We pour some water into the capillary. We will observe concave meniscus. If we add some water (so water level exceed the height of the capillary) we will observe convex meniscus. Not let's...
  13. P

    Focal Length Calculation for a Converging Meniscus Lens

    A converging meniscus lens has an index of refraction of 1.55 and radii of curvature for its surfaces of 6.00 cm and 11.0 cm. The concave surface is placed upward and filled with carbon tetrachloride which has n = 1.46. What is the focal length of the glass combination? So I tried using the...
  14. J

    Find focal length for meniscus convex

    Homework Statement Find focal length for meniscus convex (3) Given r = 15, and n = 1.5 Homework Equations Lens maker's equation The Attempt at a Solution I can find the rest except #3 and #6 (they are opposite sign of each other) I had (1/r1 - 1/r2) gives zero... which is wrong... I...
  15. O

    Surface element meniscus - free body diagram

    Consider the free body diagram of a surface element of a water - glass meniscus in a vacuum. Along the line normal to the surface, the water pressure acts towards the vacuum, and the direction of the surface tension 'curvature force' depends on whether the surface curves like a 'u' or like an...
  16. W

    Is Asymmetric Capacitive Propulsion at Play in Meniscus Propulsion?

    Earlier this year, a team of scientists demonstrated a tiny boat that uses surface tension, but no moving parts to navigate through water (see http://www.pitt.edu/news2009/Cho.pdf" ). I wonder if a boat with hydrophilic material at the back and hydrophobic material at the front can propel...
  17. Loren Booda

    How Would Reversing Water's Meniscus Affect Its Surface Properties?

    All else being unchanged, how would the surface properties (sound propagation, fountaining, breaking waves, ripples, bouyancy, suspensiveness, cavitation, bubbling, boundary conditions, etc.) of water differ if its meniscus were reversed?
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