States of Matter

The waterfall fills a pool and when the pool fills the water spills over the top, thus water takes up space.

What is Matter? Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space, such as water. The photo shows water first falling and filling and collecting at the bottom of the waterfall. When the collected water increases in volume, the water spills over a rock boundary. Water takes up space. Volume is the amount of [...]

How Paper Absorbs Water

An animated diagram of water and fiber molecules. Fiber to water - adhesion, water to water-cohesion.

  How Does Water Move Through Paper? Paper is made of plant fibers. In the process of making paper, the fibers overlap forming a massive network of tunnels in all directions throughout the paper. The chemical molecules making up the fibers are attractive to water water molecules. Adhesion is the name of the force of [...]

Cohesion: Attraction Between Like Molecules

Dripping Syrup

Cohesion is the attractive force between like molecules, such as between two water molecules or between two syrup molecules. The syrup in the photo forms a single cascading stream because the syrup molecules are attracted to each other. Discover Cohesion Yourself Wet your thumb and forefinger with water. Press these two fingers together, and then [...]

Cohesion: Surface Tension

The water drops at the end of the stream form due to the cohesion between the molecules particularily the surface tension of the surface water molecules.

  What is Cohesion and How does it Relate to Surface Tension Cohesion is the attraction that like- molecules have for each other. Water molecules have an attraction for each other. This attraction is called cohesion. Surface Tension Surface tension is the skin-like surface of a liquid due to the cohesive forces between the liquid [...]

Capillary Action

Capillary action is due to the cohesion of water molecules with each other and the adhesion of the water molecules with the walls of the glass tubes.

Capillary Action is also called wicking, which is the ability of a substance to draw another substance into it. In the diagram, three different size glass tubes are standing in a container of colored water. Notice that the water rises to a different height in each of the tubes. The more narrow the tube, the [...]

Soap Bubbles

soap-bubbles

Question: Why doesn’t water form bubbles? Answer: Cohesion is the force between molecules that are alike, such as between water molecules. The cohesion between water molecules too strong to allow the water to form bubbles. The bubbles shown in the photo are made with a solution of soap and water. The soap reduces the force [...]

Rain Drop Formation

flower raindrops 2

How do raindrop form? One way that rain drops form is called accretion. This is the process by which cloud droplets (very tiny drops of liquid water forming clouds) combine forming larger drops. This happen when the drops bump into each as well as when they get very near each other. Water molecules have an [...]