Capillary wave

A capillary wave is a type of wave that can be seen on the surface of water or other liquids. It is caused by the surface tension of the liquid, which is like a kind of elastic force that holds the liquid together.

Imagine you have a big bathtub and you fill it up with water. Now, you take your hand and move it back and forth in the water really fast. As you do this, you might see ripples or waves forming on the surface of the water.

These ripples are called capillary waves. They happen because when you move your hand back and forth really fast, you create tiny waves on the surface of the water. These waves are so small that they are affected by surface tension, which causes them to take on a particular shape.

The shape of a capillary wave is kind of like a hill and a valley. The peak of the wave is the hill and the trough is the valley. As the wave moves across the surface of the water, the hill and valley move along with it.

Capillary waves are really important for a number of reasons. For example, they can affect the way that boats move through water, and they can also affect the way that oil spills spread out over the surface of water.

So, in summary, a capillary wave is a kind of ripple that forms on the surface of water when it is disturbed. It is caused by surface tension and has a distinctive hill and valley shape. These waves are important because they can affect the behavior of liquids and how they interact with the world around them.