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Chapter 11: Problem 23

Despite the fact that stainless steel is much denser than water, a stainless- steel razor blade can be made to float on water. Why?

Short Answer

Expert verified
A stainless steel razor blade can float on water despite being denser due to the surface tension in the water. The flat shape of the blade allows it to rest on the surface without breaking the 'skin' created by surface tension, which means the water supports its weight.

Step by step solution

01

Understand Surface Tension

Surface tension is a property of the surface of a liquid that allows it to resist an external force. It's due to the cohesive force among the liquid molecules, in this case, water. The water molecules at the surface create a type of 'skin' due to the forces of cohesion.
02

Grasp the Effect of Surface Shape

Objects with flat shapes, like a razor blade, when gently placed onto the surface of the water, can cause the water to deform slightly, increasing the surface area. This deformation creates a larger area for the surface tension to act on, which can support the weight of the object. This is why it is possible for some objects with higher density to float on the surface of water.
03

Illustrate the Razor Blade Floating

Due to the high surface tension of water and the flat shape of the razor blade, when the razor blade is gently placed onto the surface of the water, it doesn't break the 'skin' created by surface tension. As a result, the water supports the razor blade, making it float despite the fact that stainless steel is denser than water.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Silicon used in computer chips must have an impurity level below \(10^{-9}\) (that is, fewer than one impurity atom for every \(10^{9} \mathrm{Si}\) atoms \() .\) Silicon is prepared by the reduction of quartz \(\left(\mathrm{SiO}_{2}\right)\) with coke (a form of carbon made by the destructive distillation of coal) at about \(2000^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) : $$\mathrm{SiO}_{2}(s)+2 \mathrm{C}(s) \longrightarrow \mathrm{Si}(I)+2 \mathrm{CO}(g)$$ Next, solid silicon is separated from other solid impurities by treatment with hydrogen chloride at \(350^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) to form gaseous trichlorosilane \(\left(\mathrm{SiCl}_{3} \mathrm{H}\right)\) $$ \mathrm{Si}(s)+3 \mathrm{HCl}(g) \longrightarrow \mathrm{SiCl}_{3} \mathrm{H}(g)+\mathrm{H}_{2}(g) $$ Finally, ultrapure \(\mathrm{Si}\) can be obtained by reversing the above reaction at \(1000^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) : $$ \mathrm{SiCl}_{3} \mathrm{H}(g)+\mathrm{H}_{2}(g) \longrightarrow \mathrm{Si}(s)+3 \mathrm{HCl}(g) $$ (a) Trichlorosilane has a vapor pressure of 0.258 atm at \(-2^{\circ} \mathrm{C} .\) What is its normal boiling point? Is trichlorosilane's boiling point consistent with the type of intermolecular forces that exist among its molecules? (The molar heat of vaporization of trichlorosilane is \(28.8 \mathrm{~kJ} / \mathrm{mol} .\) ) (b) What types of crystals do Si and \(\mathrm{SiO}_{2}\) form? (c) Silicon has a diamond crystal structure (see Figure 11.28 ). Each cubic unit cell (edge length \(a=543 \mathrm{pm}\) ) contains eight Si atoms. If there are \(1.0 \times 10^{13}\) boron atoms per cubic centimeter in a sample of pure silicon, how many Si atoms are there for every \(\mathrm{B}\) atom in the sample? Does this sample satisfy the \(10^{-9}\) purity requirement for the electronic grade silicon?

Describe the geometries of the following cubic cells: simple cubic, body- centered cubic, facecentered cubic. Which of these structures would give the highest density for the same type of atoms? Which the lowest?

A beaker of water is placed in a closed container. Predict the effect on the vapor pressure of the water when (a) its temperature is lowered, (b) the volume of the container is doubled, (c) more water is added to the beaker.

What is viscosity? What is the relationship between intermolecular forces and viscosity?

How is the molar heat of sublimation related to the molar heats of vaporization and fusion? On what law are these relationships based?
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