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The Physics of Cereal Sticking

bazinga818

Entry posted by bazinga818

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I'm guessing most of you were intrigued and confused by the title, so let me explain. You know how when you eat cereal, the pieces of cereal in the milk start to clump together? So when you're nearing the end of your bowl of Cheerios, there are often several clumps of two or three cheerios stuck together, all floating around. Why does this happen, you ask? :phew:

Well, it all has to do with surface tension. Because water molecules in the milk are attracted to glass, the milk around the edges of your cereal bowl curve up slightly, creating a concave in the middle of the milk. This is why your cheerios not only stick to each other, but often cling to the sides of the bowl as well - they float up along the curve. :startle:

Also as a result of surface tension, each piece of cereal creates its own little dip in the milk's surface while it floats around. When two pieces near each other, their dents combine to make one big dent and they stick together! Cool right? Now if only the last few clumps could stay still instead of swirling away when I try to capture them with my spoon. :thumbsd: #cerealprobz. Amiright? ;)

So there you have it, the physics behind cereal-sticking. I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and until next time, :ass:

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