If van der Waals forces are weak, how can geckos utilize these forces to cling to and walk up vertical smooth

surfaces?



What will be an ideal response?


ANSWER: The toes of geckos are covered by millions of hairs (setae). At the tip of each setae are
hundreds of thousands of pads, where each pad forms a weak interaction with a smooth
surface due to van der Waal forces. Collectively, these forces form strong attractive forces.

Biology & Microbiology

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