Surface tension explains which of the follow-

ing phenomena?
I) A piece of aluminum foil floating on a lake
II) A bowling ball sinking more slowly
through molasses than through water
III) Separating ethanol from water by distillation
IV) Water beading on a windshield during the rain

Would it be 1 and 4?

Yes, you are correct.

Yes, that's correct. Surface tension explains phenomenon I) A piece of aluminum foil floating on a lake and phenomenon IV) Water beading on a windshield during the rain.

Yes, you are correct. Surface tension can explain phenomena I and IV.

To understand why, let's first explain what surface tension is. Surface tension refers to the force exerted by the molecules at the surface of a liquid. It creates a sort of "skin" that allows some objects to float or partially float on the surface of a liquid.

Now let's apply this concept to the given phenomena:

I) A piece of aluminum foil floating on a lake: The surface tension of the water allows the aluminum foil to rest on top of the water's surface rather than sinking. This is because the cohesive forces between the water molecules are greater than the adhesive forces between the water and the aluminum foil, causing the foil to float.

IV) Water beading on a windshield during the rain: When raindrops fall on a windshield, they tend to bead up rather than spreading out over the surface. This is due to the cohesive forces between water molecules that create surface tension. The surface tension causes the water to form droplets with the minimal surface area, resulting in beading.

Phenomena II) and III) are not directly explained by surface tension.

II) A bowling ball sinking more slowly through molasses than through water: The difference in sinking speed between water and molasses is mainly due to differences in viscosity. Viscosity refers to a liquid's resistance to flow, and molasses is more viscous than water. The higher viscosity of molasses slows down the movement of the bowling ball, making it sink more slowly.

III) Separating ethanol from water by distillation: This process involves heating a mixture of ethanol and water to boil off the more volatile component (ethanol) and then condensing it back into a separate container. Distillation relies on the differences in boiling points of the components, not surface tension.

So, to summarize, surface tension explains the phenomena of a piece of aluminum foil floating on a lake (I) and water beading on a windshield during the rain (IV).