Final answer:
The usual repulsion models struggle to accurately reflect cell-material interface interactions; cell models incorporating physical forces better describe cellular tension, adhesion, and mechanics.
Step-by-step explanation:
One of the main problems with the usual repulsion models is that they may not accurately reflect the complex behaviors and interactions that occur at cell-material interfaces. Bringing insights from physics into the study of biological cells reveals that better models are needed; ones that can balance simplicity for analytical tractability with the ability to make accurate predictions that can be experimentally verified. The cell model, in particular, represents a class of models that address whole cells and account for cellular tension, adhesion, and the mechanical forces between cells and their environment. These models are crucial for the understanding of how cells behave in different physical contexts, such as the elasticity of the cytoskeleton and myosin II contractility, and how these forces influence cell adhesion and cell dynamics.