[Campbell Biology P.88] According to the text, how do Van der Waals interactions enable a g... | Practice Question
According to the text, how do Van der Waals interactions enable a gecko to walk straight up a wall?
A: By forming strong, permanent covalent bonds between the gecko's feet and the wall surface.
B: Through the collective power of numerous individually weak attractions between the gecko's foot molecules and the wall's surface molecules.
C: By creating large, stable ionic bonds that firmly adhere the gecko to the wall.
D: By rapidly generating and breaking strong hydrogen bonds, allowing for quick attachment and detachment.
Explanation
The text explains that while Van der Waals interactions are individually weak, their collective effect from numerous simultaneous interactions can be powerful enough to allow a gecko to walk up a wall. This is captured by option B.