Biology / Unit 1 Bio 0144 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Cohesion and Adhesion
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The idea
Cohesion is water's tendency to stick to itself through hydrogen bonds; adhesion is its tendency to stick to other polar surfaces.
In practice
A water strider's weight is held up by cohesion at the surface, while water climbing a thin glass tube shows adhesion.
Where people slip
Cohesion holds water to water; adhesion holds water to another material — the same hydrogen bonding produces both.
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