Sometimes you think you have a complete understanding of something and then BOOM—a simple problem throws everything out the window. Let's consider a very basic physics problem involving pushing a ...

A good old game of carrom has really stood the test of time. Set up a board and people around will flock to it while practising their finger gymnastics. You may not have noticed but the game often ...

Quick, out behind the bike shed, Professors Pendry and Leonhardt are having a fight over a completely hypothetical situation. If we hurry, we should catch the end of round three. Science: it is ...

Liquid assets: how to make coins flow like a fluid Friction in one part of a system can be reduced by boosting friction elsewhere. That is the curious and counterintuitive conclusion of Yasinul Karim ...

In today's episode, Shini tells us about Static and Kinetic friction. Why is it hard to move a heavy bookcase across a carpeted floor? And why is it easier to keep it moving than it was to get it ...

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 ...

Is friction real? Once, with the quiet certainty of someone who just stayed up all night in the company of equations describing concrete, my college roommate told me that friction was made up. Now, ...

In this video, we break down the classic physics problem of a block on an incline with friction. Learn how to calculate the forces at play, including gravitational force, normal force, and frictional ...

Predicting kinetic friction in nanoscale sliding contacts remains a challenge as macroscopic laws are not necessarily applicable 2. Questions surrounding how, when and why continuum theories break ...

Travelling wave: new computational research has revealed the role of friction in how dominoes topple. (Courtesy: iStock/Soulmemoria) On smooth, low-friction hardwood, each domino appeared to backslide ...

Although robotic devices are used in everything from assembly lines to medicine, engineers have a hard time accounting for the friction that occurs when those robots grip objects - particularly in wet ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Records say that in 15th-century China, workers hauled 100-ton-plus ...