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Surface Tension

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State

Surface tension is the energy needed to increase a liquid's surface area, from the unbalanced inward pull on surface molecules.

Show

A water strider's weight rests on water's surface unbroken, supported by hydrogen-bonded water's relatively high surface tension.

Watch for

Surface tension tracks intermolecular force strength directly — weaker cohesive forces mean a weaker "skin," not a thicker one.