A drop of oil spreads on water instead of sinking. This is due to:

A drop of oil spreads on water instead of sinking. This is due to:

Step 1: Understand that oil and water are different substances.
Step 2: Learn about surface tension, which is a property of liquids that makes their surface behave like a stretched elastic sheet.
Step 3: Recognize that water has a higher surface tension than oil.
Step 4: When a drop of oil is placed on water, the higher surface tension of the water pushes against the oil.
Step 5: Instead of sinking, the oil spreads out on the surface of the water because it cannot overcome the water's surface tension.

Surface Tension – The cohesive force between liquid molecules that causes them to behave as if they are covered by an elastic membrane.
Density – The mass per unit volume of a substance, which affects whether an object sinks or floats.
Fluid Dynamics – The study of how fluids move and the forces acting on them, relevant in understanding the behavior of oil on water.