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| Capillarity |
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| When one end of a glass capillary tube that is open at both ends, is dipped in a liquid like water that wets the tube, the liquid level in the tube rises to a certain height above the liquid level in the container, as shown below. |
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| Liquids that don't wet the tube like mercury, do not rise in the tube, but fall below its level in the container. |
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| The phenomenon of rise or fall of liquid in a capillary tube is called capillarity. |
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 Oil rises through a wick due to capillarity. The narrow pores in the threads of a wick act like tiny capillaries, through which oil rises. |
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 Ink spreads on a blotting paper as the pores in the blotting paper act like tiny capillaries. |
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 Water rises to the tip of the plants through the tiny fibres in the plant. |
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 A towel gets soaked with water on account of capillary action. |
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 Ploughing of fields is essential for preserving moisture in the soil. By ploughing, the fine capillaries in the soil are broken. This ensures that water does not rise to the surface of the soil due to capillary action and evaporate. |
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