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Capillary action of water (polar) compared to mercury (non-polar), in each case with respect to a polar surface such as glass (≡Si–OH). Capillary action (sometimes called capillarity, capillary motion, capillary rise, capillary effect, or wicking) is the process of a liquid flowing in a narrow space without the assistance of external forces like gravity.
Jurin's law, or capillary rise, is the simplest analysis of capillary action—the induced motion of liquids in small channels [1] —and states that the maximum height of a liquid in a capillary tube is inversely proportional to the tube's diameter.
An interesting phenomena, capillary rise of water (as pictured to the right) provides a good example of how these properties come together to drive flow through a capillary tube and how these properties are measured in a system. There are two general equations that describe the force up and force down relationship of two fluids in equilibrium.
In physics, the Young–Laplace equation (/ l ə ˈ p l ɑː s /) is an algebraic equation that describes the capillary pressure difference sustained across the interface between two static fluids, such as water and air, due to the phenomenon of surface tension or wall tension, although use of the latter is only applicable if assuming that the wall is very thin.
The equation is derived for capillary flow in a cylindrical tube in the absence of a gravitational field, but is sufficiently accurate in many cases when the capillary force is still significantly greater than the gravitational force. In his paper from 1921 Washburn applies Poiseuille's Law for fluid motion in a circular tube.
If negative, fluid will tend to enter the capillary (absorption). This equation has a number of important physiologic implications, especially when pathologic processes grossly alter one or more of the variables. [citation needed] According to Starling's equation, the movement of fluid depends on six variables: Capillary hydrostatic pressure (P c)
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The defining equation for a capillary surface is called the stress balance equation, [2] which can be derived by considering the forces and stresses acting on a small volume that is partly bounded by a capillary surface.