As this football rolls, it rubs against the ground. This creates a force called friction that brings the ball to a stop. A football kicked into the air will also slow down, but not as quickly.

However, this is a good thing for ice skating and sledging. Friction is a force between two surfaces that are sliding, or trying to slide, across each other. For example, when you try to push a ...

Although humans have been harnessing its power since rubbing two sticks together to build the first fire, the physics of friction remain largely in the dark. Now, Brandeis research is showing that ...