Friction

Vail’s book is more than just a lesson in perspective. It is a study of scientific progress…you will realise that friction really is the unsung hero of the material world. -- Dylan Neri * The Spectator *
An important book…[Vail's] expertise shines through on every page…Looking at friction’s intricacies adds a crucial layer of understanding for anyone who cares about how the world works, despite, and maybe because of, its many parts constantly rubbing together. -- Karmela Padavic Callaghan * New Scientist *
Ambitious…as Vail aptly demonstrates throughout her book, humans have been practicing tribology for hundreds of thousands of years, if not longer. -- Bryan Gardiner * Undark *
[Friction] is an unsung hero to most (though not, of course, to Newton, da Vinci and their ilk) – though hopefully not for much longer. -- Liz Else * New Scientist *
Traces the history of tribology—the study of friction—from its roots in ancient history…[an] eye-opening account...Readers will be inspired to start noticing how this hidden force shapes the world around them. * Publishers Weekly *
Knowledgeable, readable…sure to inspire any future tribologists. * Kirkus Reviews *
This book takes us on an incredibly smooth and enjoyable journey through the ubiquity of an underappreciated force. From our knee joints to syringes, Vail has opened my eyes to what an important force friction is. -- Roma Agrawal, author of Nuts and Bolts
A wonderfully entertaining masterclass on a subject that only gets a fraction of the attention it deserves. Reading this book shows the extraordinary ways in which our lives are fundamentally influenced by friction. Vail takes us on an extraordinary journey from the subatomic to the galactic, by way of seismology, Gore-Tex, Crayola, lawn tennis, windshield wipers, black holes, leaves on train lines … and so much more. She underpins these examples with theory from material science, chemistry, fluid dynamics, and mechanics to leave the reader with a memorable and well-grounded understanding of why things move – or don’t move – and why it matters. Having read this book, I will never look at a can of WD-40 in quite the same way again. -- Tim Minshall, author of How Things Are Made
Friction gets a bad rap for slowing things down, so who knew that learning more about it could be frictionless and fun? The brilliant Jennifer Vail makes the science of friction engaging and illuminating while also taking us deep into the surprising ways it impacts the world all around us. -- David Biello, author of The Unnatural World
Jennifer Vail takes us on a star-studded, deliciously tactile journey through the history of tribology, shining a light on the quiet role of an oft-forgotten force. Full of materiality and wonderful stories, Friction reveals the surprising depth of the science of surfaces. -- Anna Ploszajski, author of Handmade
Friction completely transformed my understanding of tribology. What was once a vaguely familiar term is now a fascinating lens through which I see the world. Vail’s enthusiastic and meticulously researched deep dive reveals how this seemingly obscure field underpins everything from beautiful music and vaccine delivery to advancements in flight. I now notice friction everywhere, and I finally understand why leaves on the line can bring UK trains to a halt! -- Yasmin Ali, author of Power Up