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van der Waals force |
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van der Waals force [′van dər ‚wȯlz ‚fȯrs] (physical chemistry) An attractive force between two atoms or nonpolar molecules, which arises because a fluctuating dipole moment in one molecule induces a dipole moment in the other, and the two dipole moments then interact. Also known as dispersion force; London dispersion force; van der Waals attraction. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Each seta's tip branches into even finer hairs that nestle so closely with every surface the gecko touches that intermolecular attractions called van der Waals bonds and capillary forces kick in. When a gecko gloms a foot onto a surface, the billion-or-so spatulae that carpet its sole snuggle so close to the surface that intermolecular forces such as van der Waals bonds may come into play, the researchers say. |
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