Science

What Is Capillary Action?

Photo credit: USGS

Water in soil is absorbed by a plant’s roots and propelled upwards to the rest of its organs with absolutely no assistance.

The plant, to push along the water the nutrients to replenish its resources, does not issue any force to negate or overcome the pull of gravity. With no force to drive it, how in the world does the water rise against gravity? What sorcery is at play here?

Capillary Action

The startling rise of a liquid in a narrow tube is called capillary action or simply, capillarity. Capillary action has fascinated people so deeply, in fact, that Einstein’s first paper didn’t explore his esoteric theory of cause and effect or gravity, nor did it demonstrate the particle nature of light. Instead, it described his “Conclusions Drawn from Capillary Action,” a paper now obscured in the fame of his miracle year papers.

The Irish chemist Robert Boyle, intrigued by the observations of a “few inquisitive French men” as he put it, dipped a thin tube in red wine and witnessed how, unlike mercury, the wine rose to a certain height in the tube. Why do water and wine rise, as the French and […]

Summary
Article Name
What Is Capillary Action?
Description
Capillary action: plants don't apply any force to draw up water, counteracting gravity. With no force, how in the world does the water rise against gravity?
Author
Publisher Name
Science ABC
Publisher Logo

Recent Posts

Why Isn’t the LA Regional Board Doing More to Protect Groundwater?

Protecting Groundwater Through the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board The Los Angeles Regional…

13 hours ago

Biden administration warns states of cyberattack threat to water, wastewater systems

(The Hill) — The Biden administration warned governors Tuesday that “disabling” cyberattacks are targeting drinking…

4 days ago

Cocopah Tribe: habitat restoration along the Colorado River to address climate change

Map: Tribe will restore areas along the Colorado River to address climate change. The Cocopah…

4 days ago

70 million Americans drink water from systems reporting PFAS to EPA. Is yours on our map?

At least 70 million Americans get their water from a system where toxic PFAS "forever…

5 days ago

Carbon Capture: Evaluating Underground CO2 Sequestration in California

Natural gas production. (Photo: ucr.edu) California’s natural gas power plants are being wasted While the…

6 days ago

Watershedding: taps run dry across Johannesburg — unprecedented water crisis

Residents of the township of Soweto, South Africa, queue for water Saturday, March 16, 2024.…

1 week ago