What does "Marangoni Effect" mean?

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The Marangoni effect is a phenomenon where liquids move because of differences in surface tension. Surface tension is the force that holds the surface of a liquid together. When a liquid has different temperatures or concentrations in different areas, the surface tension changes. This change causes the liquid to flow from areas of lower tension to areas of higher tension.

In simpler terms, if you heat up one part of a liquid or change what is dissolved in it, that area can pull on the surrounding liquid, causing it to move. This movement can lead to interesting behaviors, like droplets pushing each other away or clustering together.

In the case of droplets in a liquid, the Marangoni effect can cause the droplets to repel each other. However, other forces, like those caused by differences in weight (buoyancy), can also come into play, leading to more complex interactions. Understanding this effect helps us learn more about how droplets behave in various environments.