Quicksilver Beads

LITMercury (Hg, Z = 80), the alchemists' quicksilver, is the only metal liquid at room temperature: it melts at −38.83 °C (234.32 K). At 20 °C its density is 13.534 g/cm³ and its surface tension about 485.5 mN/m, some 6.7 times water's 72.8 mN/m. That is why it beads up and rolls instead of spreading.

MODELBeads on a tilted glass plate. Drag to tilt; beads that touch coalesce, keeping volume. The capillary length √(γ/ρg) sets the size above which a bead flattens into a puddle: computed live for mercury and, for comparison, water. Swap the liquid and watch the behaviour change.

mercurywater spill more level the plate

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