h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Why is cling film so 'clingy'?

Well, I believe cling film is so clingy because of its polymer structure. If you take a big mongrel microscope and look at a piece of cling wrap it looks like sheets of spaghetti all coiled around each other. It's a bit like the hook parts of velcro only longer.
Any way, when you get a sheet of cling wrap onto itself these little tendrils of spaghetti link up and get all jumbled in together. When cling wrap is put on something else it's the same principle at work. Often smoothe things, like stainless steel kitchen sinks say, are really cragy and mountainous at the micro - level. So it ends up looking more like an army cargo net put over a playground swingset than two surfaces sliding against each other. Now I could be tally wrong about this and would appreciate feedback if I am. The only other explination I can think of however is a world wide corporate conspiracy.

No, I think it's clingy because of electrostatic forces. When you unroll the clingfilm it gets its surface charged, and presumably food and plates and stuff has the opposite charge, and (since like charges attract) it sticks.
If it stuck because of its polymer structure, clingfilm would be glue.
I prefer your other explanation though.

Please stab me for being a pedant, (my life could do with a change of pace) but I think that that is how photocopiers work, the charged roller picking up the carbon to lay it downd on the paper positive. Heck and Hey it could easily be both and I PROMISE to do some kind of experiment soon to verify my cretinous ramblings. In my heart of hearts however I'm tipping corporate conspiracy. Ta

What you could do is get a load of cling film and copier toner, and try to pick up the toner with the cling film. If it work's then it's due to electrostatics. However it could get a bit messy. Or you could get lots of little bits of paper (same as the comb experiment).

Yes!!! very elegant. I'll give that a go. I figure if I set the charges up (pos and neg) we'll have a workable basis. Still clutching to my beliefs like a drowning man I'm going to something with the stretchiness of cling wrap too. I just figure if it works like a sheet of elastic then it should be able to pick up those little bits of paper while it is grounded and therefore charge free.

Yes, you could get a long bit of cling film and attach one end to a bare water pipe, and try to wrap your sandwich with the other. If it still works then I'm wrong. But that's wrong: cling film is (as far as I'm aware) not a conductor, so any charge wouldn't necessarily flow along the cling film and down the pipe, but just stay in the area of the sandwich.
Maybe you could get two bits of clingfilm from different rolls and stick them together. Theoretically, the charge on clingfilm should be the same sign whatever, so two bits of clingfilm would repel.
I'll go home and try it...

Yes, you could get a long bit of cling film and attach one end to a bare water pipe, and try to wrap your sandwich with the other. If it still works then I'm wrong. But that's wrong: cling film is (as far as I'm aware) not a conductor, so any charge wouldn't necessarily flow along the cling film and down the pipe, but just stay in the area of the sandwich.
Maybe you could get two bits of clingfilm from different rolls and stick them together. Theoretically, the charge on clingfilm should be the same sign whatever, so two bits of clingfilm would repel.
I'll go home and try it...