Question

Water drops are spherical in shape because of:

• A. Viscosity
• B. Density
• C. Polarity
• D. Surface tension

Hint:

Think about which property minimizes the surface area of a liquid.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Recall the property in question.
A liquid surface behaves like a stretched elastic sheet because molecules at the surface are pulled inward by neighbouring molecules.
Step 2: Link this to shape.
This inward pull is called surface tension, and it tries to reduce the surface area of the liquid to the smallest possible value.
Step 3: Apply to a water drop.
For a fixed volume, a sphere has the least surface area of any shape. So surface tension pulls a small water drop into a spherical shape.
Step 4: Rule out the other options.
Viscosity resists flow but does not decide shape. Density is mass per volume and has no role in shape. Polarity explains why water molecules attract each other but the shape effect specifically comes from surface tension, not polarity alone.
Final Answer: D) Surface tension.