Surface Tension

Surface tension is the energy per unit area due to having a surface in a liquid. It has the dimension of force per unit length, or energy per unit area. The two are equivalent, but when referring to energy per unit of area, it is common to use the term surface energy, which is a more general term in the sense that it applies also to solids. Surface tension is used for liquids, while surface stress and surface energy are more commonly used for solids.