Difference between Capillary Rise and Capillary Depression

[Saterial]

As the title states, can anyone help me understand what the difference between the two is? I've been trying to look everywhere but nothing really explains why they're different. I just thought it would be the same.

This is based on the capillary rise method for surface tension.

 

[Borek]

Do you know what the wetting angle is and how it depends on the interactions between liquid, surrounding gas and capillary walls?

 

[Saterial]

I do yes, mercury has an angle greater than 90 degrees unlike other solutions. But this only applies to mercury does it not?

 

[Borek]

No, it applies to all liquids on all surfaces. Depending on which interactions are stronger liquid either "prefers" to sit as a spherical droplet or to spread away on the surface - in both cases it tries to find the minimum energy form. Physical/mathematical description is always the same.