MadSci Network: Physics
Query:

Re: Why do wet sponges stick to my window?

Date: Mon Sep 20 10:05:24 2004
Posted By: Gregory Fike, Grad student, Paper Science & Chemical Engineering
Area of science: Physics
ID: 1095136951.Ph
Message:

Thank you for the question, Allison,

The reason the wet sponge sticks to the window while the dry sponge does 
not obviously has something to do with the water. 

Liquids have a property that helps to hold them together, which is called 
surface tension. When the sponge gets wet and is stuck against the window, 
the water forms little bridges between the sponge and the window, which 
hold the sponge there unless the sponge is too heavy. 

As the water evaporates away, it will pull the sponge closer to the window 
until too many of the water bridges break, allowing the sponge to fall 
unless the sponge has formed other bonds with the window that will keep it 
from falling. 



Current Queue | Current Queue for Physics | Physics archives

Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Physics.



MadSci Home | Information | Search | Random Knowledge Generator | MadSci Archives | Mad Library | MAD Labs | MAD FAQs | Ask a ? | Join Us! | Help Support MadSci


MadSci Network, webadmin@www.madsci.org
© 1995-2003. All rights reserved.