Place one drop of vegetable oil on the surface of the water in the basin. Watch how the drop spreads over

Place one drop of vegetable oil on the surface of the water in the basin. Watch how the drop spreads over the surface of the water. Why can a drop spread over a large area?

The density of the oil is less than the density of water, so a drop of it on the surface of the water will not be able to drown (the buoyancy force acting on the oil drop will be greater than its weight).

However, under the action of the same force of gravity, our drop will tend to spread over the surface of the water in all directions (the force of the surface tension of the oil is not able to keep the drop in the “bag” under these conditions).

Therefore, after a while, the drop will turn into an oil spot on the surface of the water.

Its size will be determined by the size of the drop, that is, by its mass. The larger the drop, the greater its mass, the larger the area the oil stain will take from it.

We can say that the oil will go from a certain volumetric state to a flat one, turning into one continuous oil film.