A Question Reasonably Well Answered

I've had a question now for about 10 years that has gone unanswered until today. I have wanted to know what makes adhesives work. Why does tape stick to things and why does it stick to some things better than others?

The answer that I have found for this comes from a fairly unorthodox source: a guy's website about certain types of sexual abuse. But, what he has to say is quite reasonable. It's something I had never thought of before. To my knowledge, the only question it doesn't answer is why some substances like glue are sticky when water (with many of the same physical properties as glue) is not. Hmmm. It could be related to viscosity because it seems that the more viscous a liquid is, the more sticky it is. Of course, then there's super glue which is a totally different animal -- low viscosity, high adhesion.

Check it out: Adhesives (how they work) and Friction.

I just thought I might share my newfound knowledge with everyone. I know it's geeky, but hey, I'm a geek and I am basicall obsessed with knowing how stuff works.