We’re all guilty of replying something like “in other news, water’s wet” when someone states the obvious. However, is water truly wet, or does it just make something else wet? The answer may not be as obvious as you’d think. It all depends on whether you’re taking a scientific or a more philosophical approach to the definition of wetness.
Most scientists claim that wetness is a liquid’s capability to cling to solid surfaces. By doing so, water makes things (like those plastic containers in your dishwasher) wet, but it is not wet by itself. That said, wetness is also defined by the presence of moisture or liquid, which means water also must be wet. Philosophers can’t agree on the issue either. Some believe that water is wet if people use the term wet to describe water. Then again, other philosophers take a more logical approach. Being wet is a condition of being covered in liquid, but liquid cannot be wet because it can’t cover itself. So what’s the correct answer?
The cohesive and adhesive nature of things
Understanding cohesion and adhesion is crucial to defining wetness when we’re talking about laws of physics (though some scientists actually don’t think they exist) and chemistry. Water has a unique behavior that’s dependent on its molecular structure. It’s how molecules of water interact between themselves and the s
