system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why does water tend to follow the path of a nearby object instead of going straight down?

For example, when pouring water from a mostly-full glass, it will cause the water to follow the side of the glass instead of fall perfectly down. Also, a sink will do the same to your arm, or finger.
gpt
I believe you are referring to the force of *adhesion*, water has a tendency to adhede to other dissimilar surfaces. There is no one theory as to why adhesion takes place, but rather it is thought to occur by multiple mechanisms, including: chemical, mechanical, electrostatic, and dispersive forces. Materials with high "surface energy" tend to have strong intermolecular forces, drawing water to the surface with such energy rather than the air, which has no surface energy for our intents and purposes. Not sure if this explains the phenomena you're referring too, but it's what came to mind.