Exact Solutions to the Capillary Rise Problem

The exact treatment of capillary rise must take into account the deviation of the meniscus from sphericity, that is, the curvature must correspond to the AP = Ap gy at each point on the meniscus, where y is the elevation of that point above the flat liquid surface. The formal statement of the condition is obtained by writing the Young-Laplace equation for a general point (x, y) on the meniscus, with R and R2 replaced by the expressions from analytical geometry given in 

Equations II-12 and 11-13 illustrate that the shape of a liquid surface obeying the Young-Laplace equation with a body force is governed by differential equations requiring boundary conditions. It is through these boundary conditions describing the interaction between the liquid and solid wall that the contact angle enters. 

The total weight of the column of liquid in the capillary follows from Eq. 11-12  

This is exact—see Problem 11-8. Notice that Eq. 11-14 is exactly what one would write, assuming the meniscus to be hanging from the wall of the capillary and its weight to be supported by the vertical component of the surface tension, 7 cos 6, multiplied by the circumference of the capillary cross section, 2ar. Thus, once again, the mathematical identity of the concepts of surface tension and surface free energy is observed. 

While Eq. 11-14 is exact, its use to determine surface tension from capillary rise experiments is not convenient. More commonly, one measures the height, h, to the bottom of the meniscus. 

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