ABSTRACT
The atoms which are at the external surface of a liquid or solid are in a very different environment compared to those atoms buried inside the object. This difference arises from the asymmetrical environment; in the bulk material, each atom is surrounded by similar atoms while those at the surface see this only on one side of the interface. In addition, the various influencing factors exerted by the environment act only on the outermost atoms. These atoms, as a consequence, have a different distribution from the inside, causing a different energy at the surface which is what one wants to measure. This energy is a function of the surface tension, 7, and its constituents, 7LW, 7® and 7e.
