cohesion, in physics, the intermolecular attractive force acting between two adjacent portions of a substance, particularly of a solid or liquid. It is this force that holds a piece of matter together. Intermolecular forces act also between two dissimilar substances in contact, a phenomenon called adhesion. These forces originate principally because of Coulomb (electrical) forces, like the van der Waals forces. When two molecules are close together, they are repelled; when farther apart, they are attracted; and when they are at an intermediate distance, their potential energy is at a minimum, requiring the expenditure of work to either approximate or separate them. Thus, work is required to pull apart two objects in intimate contact, whether they be of the same or different material.
The attractive forces of cohesion and adhesion act over a short range and vary in magnitude, depending on the substances concerned. If a piece of glass is submerged in water and then withdrawn, it will be wet—i.e., water will cling to it, showing that the force of adhesion between water and glass molecules is greater than the force of cohesion between water molecules.