Kerosene oil rises up in a wick of lantern because of:

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

NTPC CBT-I (Held On: 11 Jan 2021 Shift 1)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Capillarity.

Important Points

Capillarity-
- The tendency of a liquid in a capillary tube or absorbent material to rise or fall as a result of surface tension.
- One consequence of the pressure difference across a curved liquid-air interface is the well-known effect that water rises up in a narrow tube in spite of gravity.
The cohesive force between the kerosene and the wick is more compared to the adhesive force of kerosene, so the kerosene rises through the wick due to capillarity.
- For capillary action, the diameter of the tube should be very small.
- The liquid rises in the capillary tube due to surface tension.