A big drop is formed by coalescing 1000 small droplets of water. The ratio of surface energy of 1000 droplets to that of energy of big drop is 10/x. The value of x i s _________.

Question

G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

By conservation of volume: 1000 × (4/3)πr³ = (4/3)πR³ Therefore: R³ = 1000r³ R = 10r Surface energy is proportional to surface area. Thus: SE(small drops)/SE(big drop) = [1000 × 4πr²]/[4πR²] = 1000r²/(100r²) = 10 Given: 10/x = 10 Hence: x = 1