How can a penny hold so much water?

Answer 1

If you mean why does the water drop grow so large on top of a penny, the answer has to do with the surface tension of water. Water "likes" to stick together, so it pulls inward and keeps tightly attached to each molecule. This allows a large droplet to grow before it runs off.

Answer 2

There are a few different factors to consider : molecular attraction, surface tension, and gravity.

Lets start with molecular attraction. Molecular attraction is basically just an easy way to say that certain molecules like to stick together. Molecular attraction is the force that causes surface tension.

Surface tension is a property that makes the surface of a liquid act like a flexible membrane. It results from various weak forces acting between liquid molecules. All the molecules on the very top are pulling on eachother with greater force than the molecules underneath them, which creates the strong membrane on top that keeps the water from trickling down the sides.

It is easy to see that surface tension is playing a huge role in keeping the water on top of the penny, but there is another very important factor to consider which is gravity. Gravity tries to pull the water down, so it flattens the water droplets. Once the gravity is stronger than the surface tension the droplet finally gives in an "busts."

So after putting all of this information together we see that surface tension causes the water to create a membrane around itself and once there are so many water droplets that the weight is to much for the membrane can handle gravity takes over and the "giant" droplet ruptures.

Answer 3

I think that water can hold the penny more than honey

Answer 4

I was not aware that a penny could hold ANY water.