Why do cheerios in milk stick to each other and the inner sides of the bowl?

Answer 1

Surface tension does it. [See source.]

At the surface of a fluid, like milk, the molecules of the fluid are out of balance with respect to inter-molecular attraction. Away from the surface, the forces on each molecule cancel out, but, on the surface, because they are up against air rather than more liquid, the net molecular forces point downward and sidewards, away from and along the surface.

The net sidewards forces, from the surface tension, carry whatever is floating on the surface (assuming they are light like cheerios) sideways until they run into something (like more cheerios). At which time, they stick together because the sideways forces of surface tension keep them there.

You can see the sideways surface tension forces at work with a simple experiment. Take a small (about two inches long), flat peice of wood and saw a narrow slot into one end of it, up to about the middle of the wood. Now put the slotted wood into a basin of water. While the wood is floating in the water put a drop of liquid detergent into the slot of the wood near the middle.

In a short time, the wood will begin to move forward, away from the slotted end. The detergent in the slot chemically reduces the surface tension of the water in the slot and behind the wood where the slot ends. As a consequence, the surface sideways forces in front of the wood are stronger than those behind; and the wood is pulled forward by the stronger surface tension in front.

PS: I presume you've discounted the "gummy" answers because I presume you've noticed that cheerios stick together right away, before they turn soft and gummy. That's the surface tension at work and it works on even non-gummy cheerios.

Answer 2

Well, these guys are all wrong. Cheerios, as everyone knows, lead a very boring and mundane life in the box, but they have a wild side. When the chance to get together in a bowl of milk comes along, its like a wild hot tub party. Since cheerios are not known to be monogamous, they just start clinging to one another and "gettin it on". The ones on the sides of the bowl are just exhausted, and taking a breather before returning to the raving mass of hot and bothered o's.

Or, it could be surface tension, but what fun is that unless you're a soap bubble?

Answer 3

They'll do it in water as well.
The liquid makes the carbs turn gummy. Gummy objects stick to things. The only things present are other Cheerios and the side of the bowl.

Answer 4

I expect it has something to do with the starch in the liquid. Did you know that old fashioned wallpaper glue was starch mixed into a little water. You can do it with flour and water.

I really don't think it has anything to do with magnetism.

Answer 5

well that´s due to some chemical elements and magnetic force