photo credit:  Andrew Davidhazy, Rochester Institute of Technology

Drop Formation

This photo shows the formation of a long neck, which is produced by surface tension. For a related and well-illustrated site on drops and surface tension, see Drop Formation. Also, you might enjoy this movie of water dripping slowly from a tap.

Going back to the photo above, note the real image of the drop's shadow. For a similar photo, see the 2005 AAPT High School Physics Photo Contest, Contrived Category, Honorable Mention (at the bottom right). To make a water drop magnifier, visit Kitchen Science Experiments: Drop Magnifier.

Login to Comment on this Item

Electrical Fleas

Try this Exploratorium activity, "Electrical Fleas," to investigate static electricity. For a related Exploratorium activity, see "Charge and Carry."

Search:

Advanced Search

Browse Physics To Go by Topic.

This image is in the public domain. Image source.

Roentgen Discovers X-Rays

This photo (hi-res version) is one of the first x-ray images, made by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. It shows the bones in his wife's hand. To learn a lot about the early history of x-rays, see this pdf from Stanford University.

Life on Earth and Elsewhere

Visit the SolStation site Life on Earth and Elsewhere to learn about the origin and history of life on Earth and the possibility that life might evolve elsewhere in the solar system. To learn more, see the NOVA site How Did Life Begin?.