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 ...

Learn how to analyze tipping a block and calculating friction in this physics tutorial. Step-by-step explanations cover forces, torque, and frictional calculations, helping students understand the ...

Learn how to calculate the coefficient of friction on inclined planes in this physics tutorial. Step-by-step explanations cover the forces, equations, and reasoning you need to solve friction problems ...

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 ...

Really, this is the experiment I wanted to start on. How does friction work in Bad Piggies? Let me start with a quick summary of my experiments so far. Scale. For the size of stuff in Bad Piggies, I ...

Create a Physics World account to get access to all available digital issues of the monthly magazine. Your Physics World ...

Friction is an intrinsic physical phenomenon to curling. Without it, objects in motion would move endlessly, without slowing down. This would cause many safety-related problems: Cars or trains could ...

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, ...