What is Adhesion in Water? Definition and Examples

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 💧 Adhesion is the attraction between water molecules and different substances.
• 🪵 It's what allows water to stick to surfaces like glass, soil, or plant tissues.
• 📈 Adhesion works together with cohesion (attraction between water molecules) to enable capillary action.
• 🌱 Capillary action is crucial for water transport in plants.
• 🧪 Adhesion is stronger when the surface has a charge that attracts water molecules.

🧪 Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following BEST describes adhesion in water?
   1. Attraction between water molecules.
   2. Attraction between water molecules and other substances.
   3. Repulsion between water molecules.
   4. Repulsion between water molecules and other substances.
2. What is the primary force responsible for water sticking to the inside of a glass tube?
   1. Cohesion
   2. Adhesion
   3. Gravity
   4. Surface Tension
3. Adhesion, combined with cohesion, leads to what phenomenon in plants?
   1. Photosynthesis
   2. Respiration
   3. Capillary Action
   4. Transpiration
4. Which of the following surfaces would water likely adhere to MOST strongly?
   1. A hydrophobic (water-repelling) surface.
   2. A positively charged surface.
   3. A neutral surface.
   4. A negatively charged surface.
5. Why is adhesion important for plants?
   1. It helps them absorb sunlight.
   2. It helps them transport water from the roots to the leaves.
   3. It helps them produce oxygen.
   4. It helps them attract pollinators.
6. What happens if adhesion is significantly weaker than cohesion in water?
   1. Water will spread out more easily on surfaces.
   2. Water will form larger, more defined droplets.
   3. Capillary action will be enhanced.
   4. Water will become a better solvent.
7. Which of the following is an example of adhesion?
   1. Water forming a meniscus in a graduated cylinder.
   2. Raindrops beading up on a waxed car surface.
   3. Ice floating on liquid water.
   4. Water molecules attracting each other.