I learned to respect friction, as a phenomenon with many nuances, when I was a graduate student. One day, while teaching a problem session in elementary mechanics, I unwisely invented a new problem to ...

Solve two Atwood machine problems step by step, including the effects of friction and an inclined plane. Learn how to set up free-body diagrams, apply Newton’s laws, and avoid common mistakes in ...

Friction may not be the first problem we think of afflicting medical device design, but it is a real issue for many single-use medical devices like syringes, injection pens, and auto-injectors.

Stanford’s Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao on how to boost efficiency and satisfaction while also improving innovation and decision-making. Organizations too often subject their employees and customers to ...

A simple one-piece sleeve is sometimes better for reducing friction than complex rolling-element bearings. Besides being greaseless, journal bearings can be made out of high-tech plastics for weight ...

Cold ions sliding across periodic energy-potential patterns formed by lasers have been used to elucidate the physics of dry friction between crystals. Experiments with no more than six ions suffice to ...