Research

Cohesion and surface tension, these terms probably everyone has heard about
them sometime, but do we really know what is their meaning of? Well, both of
them share some interesting characteristics. Let's go start with cohesion.

Cohesion can have two different meanings, one literary and the other one
scientific, today we are going to focus on the scientific one, understanding and
itemizing all the terms that could be confusing.

Before start, we need to have clear the meaning of a term. Intermolecular

forces, are the atoms within a molecule that are attracted to one another by the
sharing of electrons. We can say the same in an easier way, as the force that
holds a piece of matter together. (Chemistry.bd, 2013)

Having clear this cohesion in physics, is the intermolecular attractive force

acting between two adjacent (close) portions of a substance, particularly of a
solid or liquid. (Encyclopedia Britanica, 2014)

And from where come from these forces? These forces originate principally
because of electrical forces. When two molecules are close together, they are
repelled; when farther apart, they are attracted; and when they are at an
intermediate distance, their potential energy is at a minimum, requiring the
expenditure of work to either approximate or separate them. (Encyclopedia
Britanica, 2014)

Surface Tension

The cohesive forces between liquid molecules are responsible for the
phenomenon known as surface tension. Surface tension is a phenomenon in
which the surface of a liquid, where the liquid is in contact with gas, acts like a
thin elastic sheet. (Boundless.com, 2015)

Surface tension also could be defined as the property of the surface of a liquid
that allows it to resist an external force, due to the cohesive nature of the water
molecules. (Water.usgs, 2015)

And what causes that? Well, surface tension arises from the strong interactions
between water molecules, called hydrogen bonding. It is this strong interaction
which also manifests in the other unusual property of water, its high boiling
point. (Kibron.com, 2012)