Question

When water droplets merge to form a bigger drop
(a) energy is liberated
(b) energy is absorbed
(c) energy is neither liberated nor absorbed
(d) energy may either be liberated or absorbed depending on the nature of the liquid.

Answer 1

Correct option: (a)

As the water droplets merge to form a single droplet, the surface area decreases. With this decrease in surface area, the surface energy of the resulting drop also decreases. Therefore, extra energy must be liberated from the drop in accordance with the conservation of energy.