Question

Which of the following is not due to water's surface tension?

Group of answer choices

A.ice floating on the surface of water

B.water coming out of a leaky faucet forms drops

C.an insect walking across the surface of a pond

D.water forming beads on the surface of a newly waxed car

Answer 1

Floating of ice on the surface of water is not due to the surface tension of water.

Step-by-step explanation:

It is an object’s density that determines whether the object will sink or float in a liquid. Objects denser than a liquid will sink in the liquid while objects which are less dense than a liquid floats on the surface of the liquid. In this case ice and water both are made up of water molecules but they differ in form.

Ice has lesser density than water and so it floats on water surface. Phenomena arising due to surface tension are given as the remaining options in this question.

Answer 2

Step-by-step explanation:

Ice floating on water is not due to water surface tension but rather due to density. Ice is less dense than water hence will float on water even though ice is also made of water molecules. The surface tension of water- that allows the insect to walk on water- is mainly due to the cohesive forces of attraction between the water molecules. This even allows small water droplets to support their own weight even under the force of gravity. This is why small water droplets take the shape of a ball or balloon forming a kind of a 'skin' around it.