# Question about capillary action

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-capillary-action/258027>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 2, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-capillary-action/258027 "2004-08-02T21:23:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-capillary-action/258027/1 "2004-08-02T21:23:57Z")

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Does capillary action happen due to the adhesive properties of water? Is it a matter of water clinging to the object with greater surface area?

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**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-capillary-action/258027/2 "2004-08-02T21:33:51Z")

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The walls of a capillary consist of a single layer of cells, so nutrients, dissolved gasses, and waste products can easily pass through them.

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**Author:** ![InvidiousCourgette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@InvidiousCourgette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InvidiousCourgette)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-capillary-action/258027/3 "2004-08-02T21:51:03Z")

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A quick google:

> [@](#):
>
> Capillary action is the result of adhesion and surface tension.

More details here: [http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/surten2.html](http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/surten2.html)

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**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-capillary-action/258027/4 "2004-08-02T23:31:22Z")

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> [@barbitu8](#):
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> The walls of a capillary consist of a single layer of cells, so nutrients, dissolved gasses, and waste products can easily pass through them.

Non sequitur. Capillaries don’t use capillary action - the blood is pushed through them.

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**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2004, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-capillary-action/258027/5 "2004-08-03T01:02:50Z")

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> [@dmartin](#):
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> Non sequitur. Capillaries don’t use capillary action - the blood is pushed through them.

I didn’t say they do. **InvidiousCourgette** did, citing a source. I said that since the wall contains a single layer of cells, nutrients and waste are able to pass through.

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**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2004, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-capillary-action/258027/6 "2004-08-03T02:46:22Z")

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> [@barbitu8](#):
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> I said that since the wall contains a single layer of cells, nutrients and waste are able to pass through.

We’re not talking about capillaries in the circulatory system, though. We’re talking about the properties of water in a capillary tube. The phrase “capillary action” is pretty much universally understood to mean what **InvidiousCourgette’s** link discusses.