Capillary Curve

DCS Code: 2A20.20 Last Updated: March 27, 2026
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Purpose

A wedge-shaped glass container produces a continuous capillary curve, showing the inverse relationship between gap width and capillary rise. Students see the entire \(h \propto 1/d\) relationship simultaneously in a single apparatus.

Glass wedge apparatus on a lab jack: two glass plates forming a narrow wedge, with a visible capillary curve where water rises higher at the narrow end
Figure 1: Glass wedge on a lab jack. The capillary curve is visible as water rises higher toward the narrow end of the wedge.