Question

When a capillary tube is dipped into a liquid, the liquid neither rises nor falls in the capillary.
(a) The surface tension of the liquid must be zero.
(b) The contact angle must be 90°.
(c) The surface tension may be zero.
(d) The contact angle may be 90°.

Answer 1

Correct option: (c), (d)

If the liquid level does not rise, it may be assumed that the surface tension is zero or the contact angle is 90°, or both. However, we cannot tell for sure whether the surface tension of the liquid is zero or the contact angle is 0°.