FIG. 9 Shape of the liquid droplet on a substrate in terms of z(r). The origin (O) is located at the apex. The point P is an arbitrary point on the liquid-vapor surface with radii of curvature R

Adams [29] for different values of the parameter β. In the numerical tables they supplied, R≡r/b and Z≡z/b are tabulated as a function of the angle ψ (defined in Fig. 9) which runs from 0° (at the origin) to 180° (see Fig. 10). The analysis of Bashforth and Adams is completed by locating the substrate such that the angle ψ is equal to the Young angle θ (see Fig. 10). For given θ and fixed value of the parameter β, the volume of the droplet is completely determined and numerical values were also tabulated by Bash-forth and Adams [29]. Alternatively, it is thus possible to consider the volume of the droplet as the parameter that can still be varied instead of β (or b). Small values of the parameter β then indicate a small gravitational field or, equivalently, small droplet volumes. When β=0, there is no gravitational field and the droplet shape is spherical.