Meniscus (liquid)

The meniscus is like the bubble at the top of your drink when you pour it into a glass. If you pour too much drink into the glass, the drink creates a curve at the top, and that curve is called the meniscus.

Now, when scientists talk about a meniscus, they are usually talking about a liquid meniscus. This type of meniscus happens when a liquid is in a container and is touching the sides of the container.

When you pour liquid into a container, you might notice that the liquid doesn't fill to the very top. Instead, the liquid forms a curve along the edges of the container, like a little hill at the top. This is called the liquid meniscus.

The shape of the liquid meniscus is caused by two things: gravity and surface tension. Gravity is what pulls all the liquid down, while surface tension is what makes the liquid stick to the sides of the container. Think of surface tension like a kind of glue that holds the liquid to the container.

So there you have it, a meniscus is the little hill of liquid formed when a liquid sticks to the container's sides due to gravity and surface tension.