Capillary Rise in Tube: What Happens if Length is Insufficient?

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    Capillary Rise Tube
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of capillary rise in a tube, particularly focusing on the implications of having a tube that is shorter than the height of the capillary rise. Participants explore the relationship between the height of the liquid column, the radius of the meniscus, and the behavior of water in a tube of insufficient length.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Homework-related
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions what happens when a capillary tube is cut to a height less than the height of the capillary rise, wondering if water will flow out.
  • Another participant seeks clarification on the teacher's statement regarding the relationship between the height of the liquid column (h) and the radius of the sphere (R), specifically how an increase in R relates to a decrease in h.
  • There is a repeated inquiry about how large the radius of the meniscus can become and what implications this has for the behavior of the water in the tube.
  • A participant suggests that the curves of the meniscus are responsible for pulling the water up, indicating that in a small tube, the pulling area is significant relative to the surface area, which affects the height of the water column.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express confusion and seek clarification on the concepts involved, indicating that there is no consensus on the implications of cutting the tube or the relationship between height and radius. Multiple competing views and questions remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express a lack of understanding regarding the teacher's explanation, highlighting potential gaps in communication or comprehension. There are also references to the need for further resources to clarify the topic.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to students studying fluid mechanics, particularly those exploring capillary action and its dependence on tube dimensions.

Joel Jacon
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What happen when the capillary rise occur in a tube of insufficient length?

My teacher told me that hR = constant where h is height and R is radius of sphere of which the curved surface of meniscus firm a part.
She also told me that if h become less so R has to increase so radius of meniscus has to be large.

I didn't really get what she's meant.

If we take a capillary tube of height h and put it in water then, the tube become filled with water till height h. Now if we break a tube to make it of height less than h then will water flow out?
 
Last edited:
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This is homework.
Joel Jacon said:
radius of meniscus has to be large.
How large can the radius become? What does that imply?
Joel Jacon said:
will water flow out?
Work out the first question and the answer to this becomes obvious.
 
I told that I didn't understand what the teacher told. Any link on web that explain it would be helpful.
This is not a homework question.
 
I'll ask once more:
Bystander said:
How large can the radius become? What does that imply?
 
I told that's what my teacher said. If I had known the meaning I wouldn't have asked the question.
 
I can tell that someone has not explained this to you very well, or you were not listening!

All you need to know is that the curves of a meniscus are in effect pulling up the water, they are attracted to the glass. In a small tube the pulling area is a large proportion of the surface area and will be able to pull the water high and vice versa.
 

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