Why does water take the shape of a 'drop' when it falls?

Question

Is there a 'Physicist' among those who answered my question- I wonder!

Answer 1

If you are talking about the shape that you always see in cartoons, round at the bottom and coming to a point at the top, then it doesn't.

The raindrop shape is an invention of artists or whoever. High speed photography shows that raindrops take the shape of flattened spheres due to air resistance.

You can read about it here: http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/history/lenard.htm

Answer 2

The "droplet" shape only is found at the instant before water "drips" from a faucet, eyedropper, or similar object - the surface tension of the droplet (i.e., the intermolecular attractive forces of the polar water molecules) cause the drop to attach to other. When the weight of the water in the droplet is greater than the attractive force, the drop detaches and falls.

As other answers above have noted, when the drop actually falls, air resistance produces a flattened sphere.

Answer 3

Currently you have no correct answers to your question.

The reason the drop forms a sphere is because with nothing surrounding the drop except air, and excluding the force of air against the drop as it falls, the drop has internal energy between all the molecules in the drop. These molecules are attracted to one another equally.

Thus, to minimize this energy, as nature likes to do, the most obvious shape when all those forces are equal is that of a sphere.

Answer 4

Liquids take a drop form because of surface tension.

Molecules in the bulk of the liquid are pulled equally by intermolecular forces, but at the surface there are only other molecules in one direction - its the definition of what the surface is (i.e. its where the bulk ends).

This leads to an inbalance of forces, so there is a greater force at the surface towards the bulk than away from it.

A sphere is the lowest energy configuration of a surface under tension, so is the natural shape.

Answer 5

I think when you used the term "drop" to describe falling water, you're specifically refering to the "teardrop" shape typically depicted in cartoons — round at the bottom and narrowing towards the top — but this is incorrect. Only drops of water dripping from some sources are tear-shaped at the moment of formation. Small raindrops are nearly spherical. Larger ones become increasingly flattened on the bottom, like hamburger buns; very large ones are shaped like parachutes. The shape of raindrops was studied by Philipp Lenard in 1898. He found that small raindrops (less than about 2 mm diameter) are approximately spherical. As they get larger (to about 5 mm diameter) they become more doughnut-shaped. Beyond about 5 mm they become unstable and fragment.

Answer 6

Yup, most things in nature, when no outside force is working on them, form a sphere. In the case of a water drop the force of gravity is pulling it and creates its shape. Hows that?
****, I just seen magic got there before me.

I think that fixizz will find that my answer is correct. He has just gone into more detail about one part of my answer. What a dick.

Answer 7

The two forces at work are gravity and surface tension.

a droplet consists of a set amount of liquid which falls through the air. This droplets shape is determined by the viscocity of the liquid and the size of the droplet along with the force of gravity.

Answer 8

If left on its own, with no force acting upon it, water would form a sphere. However, when it's dropped, the force of gravity pulls on the sphere from below. Hence, the drop shape.

Answer 9

And still no correct answer.

Basically it's wind resistance. As the drop of water falls it's pushing through the air, which 'squashes' the lower portion

I could Google the scientific analysis, but so could anyone.

Answer 10

1. Water is heavier than air - therefore a higher concentration of water molecules appear at the "bottom" of the droplet.
2. The gravitational pull of earth - etc.etc.