A concave meniscus, which is what you normallywill see, occurs when the molecules of the liquid are attracted tothose of the container. This occurs with water and a glass tube. Aconvex meniscus occurs when the molecules have a strongerattraction to each other than to the container, as with mercury andglass..
Similarly, you may ask, what causes a convex meniscus?
A concave meniscus occurs when the particles ofthe liquid are more strongly attracted to the container (adhesion)than to each other (cohesion), causing the liquid to climbthe walls of the container. Convex menisci occur, forexample, between mercury and glass in barometers andthermometers.
what liquids have a convex meniscus? A meniscus is a phase boundary that hasbeen curved because of surface tension. In the case of water andmost liquids, the meniscus is concave. Mercuryproduces a convex meniscus.
In this manner, why does Mercury have a convex meniscus?
Mercury does not wet glass - the cohesive forceswithin the drops are stronger than the adhesive forces between thedrops and glass. When liquid mercury is confined in a tube,its surface (meniscus) has a convex shape because thecohesive forces in liquid mercury tend to draw it into adrop.
What is a meniscus and how do you read it?
Concave menisci are read from the bottomof the curve at eye level. A meniscus is a curve formed onthe upper surface of a liquid inside a container. This curve isformed by the surface tension between the liquid and the containerholding the liquid. A common liquid that forms a convexmeniscus is liquid mercury.
Related Question Answers
What is a concave meniscus?
A concave meniscus, which is what you normallywill see, occurs when the molecules of the liquid are attracted tothose of the container. This occurs with water and a glass tube. Aconvex meniscus occurs when the molecules have a strongerattraction to each other than to the container, as with mercury andglass.Why is meniscus important?
A meniscus occurs because of surface tension inthe liquid and must be read at eye level. For a concavemeniscus, the correct volume will be read at the bottom ofthe curve. For a convex meniscus, the opposite is true andthe correct reading will be at the top of the curve.What is a meniscus and why does it occur?
A concave meniscus, which is what you normallywill see, occurs when the molecules of the liquid areattracted to those of the container. This occurs with waterand a glass tube. A convex meniscus occurs when themolecules have a stronger attraction to each other than to thecontainer, as with mercury and glass.What is the meniscus in biology?
Biology Glossary search by EverythingBio.com. Aconcave surface of a liquid resulting from surface tension. Thebottom of the meniscus is used to measure the volume of aliquid in apparatus such as a graduated cylinder.What is a meniscus graduated cylinder?
A meniscus is the curved surface at the top of acolumn of liquid. In a science class, this liquid is usually wateror some sort of aqueous solution, and the column is usually agraduated cylinder or a pipet. As you may have noticed, whenwater is in such a thin glass tube, it does not have a flat surfaceat the top.How does a meniscus form in a graduated cylinder?
Why is there the meniscus effect in agraduated cylinder? This also has to do with moleculepolarity. Water molecules are attracted to the polarity of theglass, causing them to creep up the sides, while water tension andgravity prevents them from crawling up and out of thecontainer.Can you tear your meniscus without knowing it?
A torn meniscus usually produces well-localizedpain in the knee. The pain often is worse during twisting orsquatting motions. Unless the torn meniscus has locked theknee, many people with a torn meniscus can walk, stand, sit,and sleep without pain.What is upper meniscus?
The meniscus is the curve seen at the top of aliquid in response to its container. Most liquids, including water,present a concave meniscus. A convex meniscus(sometimes called a "backwards" meniscus) is produced whenthe molecules of the liquid are more strongly attracted to eachother than to the container.What is meniscus of mercury?
A concave meniscus, which is what you normallywill see, occurs when the molecules of the liquid are attracted tothose of the container. This occurs with water and a glass tube. Aconvex meniscus occurs when the molecules have a strongerattraction to each other than to the container, as withmercury and glass.What is lower meniscus and upper meniscus?
A concave meniscus curves downward; if you arelooking down from the top, it curves away from you, like theopening of a cave would. In contrast, a convex meniscuscurves upward; if you are looking down into the container, themeniscus curves toward you. A convex meniscus curvesup toward you.Why is water wet?
Water is wet, in the sense of being a liquidwhich flows easily, because its viscosity is low, which is becauseits molecules are rather loosely joined together.Why Mercury has its meniscus upward?
Formation of meniscus depends on cohesive andadhesive forces in a liquid.In water adhesive forces are largerthan the cohesive forces, therefore water in a container stick tothe wall of container and rises a little bit and form concavemeniscus.In mercury cohesive forces are strong ascompare to adhesive forces.How do you accurately measure a liquid?
To measure liquids, place an appropriately sizedliquid measuring cup on a flat, stable surface (don't justhold it in your hand!). Pour in your liquid until it is justunder the line. Squat or bend down so that your eye is exactlylevel with the graduation.Why do we read the bottom of the meniscus?
The Meniscus. Normally, liquid will curve at theedges of the surface where the liquid touches the container becausewater molecules are more attracted to glass than to each other.We need to read the level at the bottom of themeniscus to measure a volume of liquid in a graduatedcylinder.What is it called when water forms a dome?
Cohesion of water This dome-like shape forms due to thewater molecules' cohesive properties, or their tendency tostick to one another. Surface tension causes water toform spherical droplets and allows it to support smallobjects, like a scrap of paper or a needle, if they are placedcarefully on its surface.Why in colored solutions we observe upper meniscus & colorless solutions lower meniscus?
This is due to the reason that in case of colouredsolutions lower meniscus is not visible clearly. In the case ofcolourless liquid, it is easy to observe the phaseboundary, whether it is convex or concave hence in thecolourless liquid lower meniscus may beconsidered.What is a meniscus level?
The meniscus (plural: menisci, from theGreek for "crescent") is the curve in the upper surface of a liquidclose to the surface of the container or another object, caused bysurface tension. It can be either concave or convex, depending onthe liquid and the surface.When water is heated what happens to its density?
A decrease in temperature caused the watermolecules to lose energy and slow down, which results inwater molecules that are closer together and adecrease in water volume. When water is heated,it expands, or increases in volume. When waterincreases in volume, it becomes less dense. 
