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Course: High school chemistry?>?Unit 5
Lesson 3: Liquids, solids, and gasesApply: properties of liquids
Problem
Liquids exhibit visible properties that provide information about the interactions occurring at the molecular level.
Surface tension is a force that reduces the surface area of a liquid. A substance with a high surface tension has a minimized surface area because molecules at the surface are pulled inward, resulting in a more spherical shape.
This effect is vividly demonstrated by the spherical shape of water droplets on a spider's web, like the one shown below.
Complete the statement.
Surface tension arises from the _____ at the liquid's surface.