Researchers have demonstrated how to entirely suppress static friction between two surfaces. This means that even a minuscule force suffices to set objects in motion. Especially in micromechanical ...

The force needed to start an object sliding traditionally depends on two things: its weight (as well as any other downward forces) and a number called the coefficient of static friction.

As a result, and perhaps counterintuitively, the surface starts sliding more easily, and the relative resistance to motion -- the so-called static friction coefficient-- decreases. Using a simple ...

This friction builds up charges on different parts of the materials, producing a current — and ultimately, a static shock ... have an answer to one of science’s oldest mysteries.

Once the friction builds up on either ... Marks notes that while most people associate static electricity with demonstrations such as hair-raising elementary science experiments or touching ...

And while cats are not the main culprits of creating this static electricity ... professor of materials science and engineering at Northwestern. “People have tried, but they could not explain ...

Because of friction, sleds don't technically touch the ... But when it comes to sledding, there is actually a lot of science that goes into getting from the top of the hill to the bottom.