How much do you know about friction? Jennifer R. Vail's charming, if sometimes technical, "biography" of the force showcases its amazing and largely overlooked role in everything from climate change ...

In "Friction," tribologist Jennifer Vail shows how the fundamental force that resists motion keeps driving us forward.

Fig. 3: These conveyor belt rollers experience rolling contact fatigue during operation. Including plastic components in machinery systems that experience friction and wear results in a number of ...