Application of Surface Tension — Lead Shot Manufacturing In the traditional production of small spherical lead shots by dropping molten lead from height into water, is the property of surface tension being utilized to form spheres?

Introduction:
When small droplets of a liquid form in air and then solidify, their shapes reflect the interplay of interfacial forces and body forces. Lead shot production exploits this physics to achieve nearly spherical pellets without machining.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Molten lead droplets fall through air and quickly cool in water.
• Droplets are small enough for surface forces to dominate over gravity-driven distortion.
• No external fields deform the drops during flight.

Concept / Approach:
Surface tension minimizes surface area for a given volume, and the sphere provides the minimum surface area. Thus a freely falling droplet tends to a spherical shape before it solidifies. Rapid quenching in water “freezes” the spherical geometry into solid shot.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Molten lead separates into small droplets during fall.Surface tension acts isotropically along the interface, pulling the surface toward minimal area.The droplet adopts an approximately spherical shape, which is then preserved by solidification in water.

Verification / Alternative check:
Similar behavior is observed with water mist and molten glass beads; small droplets are nearly spherical due to surface tension dominance over aerodynamic forces.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Viscosity resists deformation but does not set the equilibrium minimal-area shape.
Gravity initiates detachment and fall but tends to elongate drops at large sizes, not make them spherical.

Common Pitfalls:
Assuming large droplets remain spherical—at larger sizes, aerodynamic drag flattens and distorts the drop before solidification.

Final Answer:
Agree