Free surface of a liquid behaves like a sheet and tends to contract to the smallest possible area due to the

The tendency of a liquid's free surface to behave like a contracting sheet is due to surface tension, which arises from the force of cohesion. Cohesion is the attractive force between like molecules (liquid-liquid), causing the surface to minimize its area. Adhesion refers to attraction between unlike molecules (liquid-solid), friction opposes motion, and centrifugal force is apparent in rotating frames.