Final answer:
Surface tension is the energy required to increase the surface area of a liquid, caused by cohesive forces between molecules. Water exhibits high surface tension due to strong hydrogen bonding and its surface can withstand force without breaking.
Step-by-step explanation:
Surface tension is the energy required to increase the surface area of a liquid, or the force required to increase the length of a liquid surface by a given amount. This property results from the cohesive forces between molecules at the surface of a liquid, and it causes the surface of a liquid to behave like a stretched rubber membrane. Among common liquids, water exhibits a distinctly high surface tension due to strong hydrogen bonding between its molecules. As a result of this high surface tension, the surface of water represents a relatively "tough skin" that can withstand considerable force without breaking. A steel needle carefully placed on water will float. Some insects, like the one shown in Figure 10.17, even though they are denser than water, move on its surface because they are supported by the surface tension.