Same reason it's easier to walk on damp sand than either submerged or dry sand.
Cool post, thanks!
This question is right up there in importance with such
questions as "if tin whistles are made of tin,what do they make foghorns out of?"
Why do liberals stick together?............because they all suck!.......
I sense a science fair project for little NVA here.
I'm disapponted. I thought the article was going to show that it was all Bush's fault. :=)
And here I thought they were "schooling" in an attempt to avoid predators
How much did this study cost???
I thought it was the gravity each object has within it (no friction in a liquid) thus pulling the two objects together.
Miniscus effect and Surface tension do not get to the root of the problem.
It is societal tension brought about by the oppressive effects of the patriarchy that drives cheerios to form colonies. The hegemonic urge is strong even in cereals, and the implacable forces of History drive them into union and cohesion. Imperialism is not the end of Breakfast, but it is a necessary step on the path to stomach satiation.
What do you mean social sciences are not real sciences?
Cheeriomagnetization
And I've figured out how alcohol makes a drunk fall. Place one drop of alcohol in the water where the tack is "floating" and it will sink or "fall". Alcohol breaks the surface tension - I've seen my neighbors lose all their surface tension on Friday and Saturday nights.
Sorry, but I believe this has been known for quite some time. Its basically how I have explained it, although not in quite the detail.
Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios. ...
"You may or may not have pondered why your breakfast cereal tends to clump together or cling to the sides of a bowl of milk."
I wondered about it for about 20 seconds after reading this headline and decided to was probably because of surface tension. I pretty figured it out in about 20 seconds and I'm no genius. So, it must be a slow news day.
That study is wrong. Some Cheerios are male and some female and some are same-sex and some are more attracted to others than others are...but none can swim so they rush to the edge of the bowl or try to drown the little guy on the bottom. Sooner or later the little guy on the bottom will get soggy and go limp.
How am I so sure? Personal morning observation - although that may have been influenced a bit by lingering morning drowsiness.
Sheesh! Can you say obvious? I figured this out one morning when I was ten, just by watching the Cheerios. And this guy makes a living?
I get it. If say, Dolly Parton is standing in the swimming pool she would look years younger if she were standing near the edge.
The guy who wrote this needs an editor.
Is it wetter under water when it rains?