surface tension

surface tension
surface tension n the attractive force exerted upon the surface molecules of a liquid by the molecules beneath that tends to draw the surface molecules into the bulk of the liquid and makes the liquid assume the shape having the least surface area

* * *

the tension or resistance which acts to preserve the integrity of a surface, such as the tension or resistance to rupture possessed by the surface film of a liquid, or the tension or strain upon the surface of a liquid in contact with another substance with which it does not mix.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • surface tension — n [U] the way the ↑molecules in the surface of a liquid stick together so that the surface is held together …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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