Surface tension in water might be good at performing tricks, such as being able to float a paper clip on its surface, but surface tension performs many more duties that are vitally important to the environment and people. Find out all about surface tension and water here.
The cohesive forces between liquid molecules are responsible for the phenomenon known as surface tension. The molecules at the surface of a glass of water
do not have other water molecules on all sides of them and consequently they cohere more strongly to those directly associated with them (in this case, next to and below them,
but not above). It is not really true that a “skin” forms on the water surface; the stronger cohesion between the water molecules as opposed to the attraction of the water
molecules to the air makes it more difficult to move an object through the surface than to move it when it is completely submersed. (Source: GSU).
