Two small drops of mercury each of radius 'R' coalesce to form a large single drop. The ratio of the total surface energies before and after the change is

Step-by-step solution

The volume of mercury remains same. array l 4 3 R³=2 ( 4 3 r³ ) R³=2 r³ or r³= R³ 2 r= R 2^ 1 3 array Initial surface energy E ₁=4 R ² T Final surface energy E ₂=4 r ² ~T =4 ( R 2^ 1 3 )² ~T =4 R ² 2^ 2 3 ~T E₁ E₂ =2^ 2 3