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.

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 ...

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.

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 ...