Question

SEP Analyze Data Look at the data in Figure 1. Describe the relationship between the salinity of water and its surface tension.

Answer 1

The data in Figure 1 show a clear positive correlation: as the salinity of the water increases, its surface tension increases. The increase is relatively small but steady across the measured range (the points lie close to an upward-sloping line), with little scatter — i.e., higher-salinity samples consistently have higher surface-tension values.

Physical explanation: dissolved salts (ions) strengthen intermolecular cohesion at the liquid surface, so adding salt raises the surface tension. If you want a quantitative statement (slope, R², or a best-fit equation), send the numerical values or a higher-resolution image and I’ll compute it.