Asked by hj

Water can resist a greater external force than ethanol can. Which statement best describes this difference?
Water has less capillary action than ethanol.
Water has greater capillary action than ethanol.
Water has lower surface tension than ethanol.
Water has greater surface tension than ethanol.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Water has greater surface tension than ethanol.

Reason: Surface tension measures how strongly a liquid resists deformation at its surface. Water's strong hydrogen bonding gives it a much higher surface tension (~72 mN/m at 20 °C) than ethanol (~22 mN/m), so water resists an external force at the surface more.