Question

Can someone help answer this? thanks!

if surface tension relies on intermolecular forces, how could you make surface tension decrease?
(think about how and where molecules bind to each other)

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

Surface tension is the energy required to increase the surface area of a liquid by a given amount. The stronger the intermolecular interactions, the greater the surface tension. ... The viscosity of a liquid is its resistance to flow. Liquids that have strong intermolecular forces tend to have high viscosities.

The surface tension in plain water is just too strong for bubbles to last for any length of time. ... This separates the water molecules from each other. Since the surface tension forces become smaller as the distance between water molecules increases, the intervening soap molecules decrease the surface tension.