Friction is hard to predict and control, especially since surfaces that come in contact are rarely perfectly flat. New experiments demonstrate that the amount of friction between two silicon surfaces, ...

Chemists and physicists at the University of Amsterdam shed light on a crucial aspect of friction: how things begin to slide. Using fluorescence microscopy and dedicated fluorescent molecules, they ...

Picture yourself at a busy pedestrian crossing. When the light is red, everyone waits -- until one person starts to cross. Soon, others follow, and eventually everyone follows the crowd and crosses.

Step inside the strange world of a superfluid, a liquid that can flow endlessly without friction, defying the common-sense rules we experience every day, where water pours, syrup sticks and coffee ...

Every conveyor belt, guide rail, and sliding chain in a modern factory is quietly fighting a microscopic war against friction ...

The friction between a silicon ball and silicon wafer was measured in the experimental set-up shown on the left. The new research demonstrates that there is a direct relation between two effects: the ...