Nanowerk

Nanotechnology and the concept of friction

1.1 What is friction? Take this everyday example: when a coffee mug rests on a flat table, the kinetic frictional force is zero. There is no force trying to move the mug across the table, so there is ...
Wired

What Even Is Friction, Anyway?

I'll be honest—friction is pretty complicated. Imagine that I have a block of wood sliding on a table. In some way, the atoms on the surface of the wood block are interacting with the surface atoms on ...
Nanowerk

Friction Force Microscopy (FFM): Probing Nanoscale Friction and Adhesion

Schematic illustration of Friction Force Microscopy (FFM). The AFM cantilever, a small diving board-like structure about 200 micrometers long, 50 micrometers wide, and 1 micrometer thick, has a sharp ...
The Conversation

Lighting a fire using friction requires an understanding of some physics principles − but there are ways to make the process easier

Humans have been making fire using friction for thousands of years, with evidence of its use found in archaeological records across different cultures worldwide. Fire by friction is a testament to ...
The Conversation

Leonardo da Vinci’s early work on friction founded the modern science of tribology

Manchester Metropolitan University provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK. For most people, the first thing that comes to mind when they think of Leonardo da Vinci is the Mona Lisa, or ...