Capillary Tube Behavior in a Gravityless Environment

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a capillary tube submerged in water, where the water rises to a certain height. The scenario changes when the tube is placed in a freely falling elevator, prompting a discussion about the behavior of the water column under these conditions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the forces acting on the water column, including adhesion and gravity, and how these forces change when the system is in free fall. There is a discussion about the implications of relative acceleration being zero in a gravityless environment.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided insights into the forces at play and how they affect the height of the water column in different scenarios. There is an ongoing exploration of the reasoning behind the height of the water column in the freely falling elevator, with no explicit consensus reached yet.

Contextual Notes

The problem is framed as a theoretical scenario, and participants are considering the implications of gravity and adhesion forces in a capillary action context.

Navin
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Homework Statement


A 20 cm long capillary tube is dipled in water.The water rises up to 8cm .if the entire arrangement is put in a freely falling elevator ,the length of the water column is

A)10cm

B)8cm

C)20cm

D)4cm

Homework Equations


Its a theoretical sum

The Attempt at a Solution


Okay...since this is a freely falling elevator ,the reletive accelaration will be zero and hence i feel the fluid will maintain its orignal height of 8cm

But alas ,the book says its 20cm and have give the reason that since its "gravityless" ie :rel accelaration 0, it will occupy full capillary tube.

[Edit 1 -fixed a typo
Edit 2 - i wrote about what i did in Edit 1]
 
Last edited:
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What are the forces acting on the column of water in the capillary before you put it in the elevator? What force is pulling the water up the capillary against gravity?
 
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Chandra Prayaga said:
What are the forces acting on the column of water in the capillary before you put it in the elevator? What force is pulling the water up the capillary against gravity?

Oh ! I think i got it !
Case 1
Alright ,so before we put the fluid in the elevator we have forces of adhesion pulling water up the capillary tube,but one it reaches a certain hieght ,force of gravity dominates and hence it can't go further

Case 2
During free fall there is nothing to stop the liquid from rising ,that is ,due to adhesion the liquid continues to rise until it occupies full cappilary tube !
 
Hence the answer should be 20 cm right ?
 

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