Skip to main content

Cohesive vs. Adhesive Forces

This video presents the same text shown beside it, spoken and on screen. It adds nothing the text does not say.

State

Cohesive forces are attractions between like molecules of one liquid; adhesive forces are attractions between a liquid and a different surface.

Show

Water beads on a waxed car hood because its cohesive forces exceed its adhesive forces toward the wax.

Watch for

Whether a liquid spreads or beads depends on which force wins, not on the liquid's identity alone.