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capillary action
Also called capillarity, the name given to various surface tension phenomena in which the surface of a liquid confined in a narrow-bore tube rises above or is depressed below the level it would have if it were unconfined. When the attraction between the molecules of the liquid and those of the tube exceeds the combined effects of gravity and the attractive forces within the liquid, the liquid rises in the tube until equilibrium is restored. Capillary action is very important in nature, particularly in the transport of fluids in plants (see xylem) and through the soil.
Related category
• PROPERTIES OF MATTER
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