We Can Hold on to Glass Thanks to Sweat

Although it may seem small, our very fingerstips have evolved to be better. Our fingers have ridges to allow for a better grip on rough surfaces like wood and cloth. These ridges are not designed to increase the grip on something more smooth. This is where the sweat glands come to play. The sweat glands shown in the video produce sweat roughly 20 seconds after your skin comes into contact with a glass surface. This sweat softens the keratin in the skin and allows for the ridges that make up your fingerprint to flatten out. This allows for a better grip on the smooth glass surface. The research done on this included a glass prism and a camera which allowed for the researchers to actually see the sweat being produced. When tested with rubber, the production of sweat was so quick that it could not be seen on camera. All of this has to do with friction and how our body uses friction for our benefit. The formula for friction at the bottom includes the value μk which represents the amount of friction between two objects depending on their texture. For instance, the value for μk would be greater if it was between two two rough objects than if it was between two smooth ones. This analysis of the fingers has practical applications to technology and prosthetics. If scientists know how our fingers react to glass, they could improve the touchscreen experience for smartphone users. In addition, knowing this can improve the capabilities of prosthetic arms while making prosthetics more and more human-like.

Fk=μkFn

The friction coefficient μk is helpful in understanding the amount of friction between two given objects. The higher the number, the more friction there is between two objects. Some objects that are expected to be slippery like ice sliding on ice do in fact have a low friction coefficient. The coefficient for ice on ice is the low number of 0.02-0.09. On the other hand, two objects with an expected high friction is rubber with rubber. This has a friction coefficient of 1.16. Despite these being somewhat obvious, other friction coefficients are less obvious such as silver with silver. These two substance sliding would seem to be an easy glide, but these have a high coefficient of 1.4. With this in mind, it can be concluded that the friction between skin and glass is increased with the recreation of sweat making the skin less rough.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2017/09/25/sweat-enhanced-grip/#.We5Qoa3MyRs

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/forces-newtons-laws/inclined-planes-friction/a/what-is-friction

http://www.pnas.org/content/114/41/10864.full

Comments

Physics of Sound Dampeners and Active Noise Cancellation

Physics of Sound Dampeners and Active Noise Cancellation Sound dampening foam panels in a recording studio. ANC headphones worn by pilots and/or passengers in consumer aviation aircraft. Acoustic treatment of soundscapes has grown alongside the sound production industry. Whether through absorption panels, diffusors and cloud panels to treat a space or headphones placed directly over the ears of listeners, acoustic treatment comes in many forms. Environments are treated acoustically to absorb excess sound to prevent sound levels from crossing a threshold above which the desired goal cannot be had. Before getting into sound dampening, we must discuss sound. Sound is produced when an object vibrates (a form of oscillation) and temporarily displaces nearby air molecules causing a wave effect as the displaced molecules collide with their neighboring molecules. Sound waves are fluctuations in pressure as the initial displacement of molecules experiences collisions that in ...

Large Hadron Collider

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. The LHC is the largest machine in the world. It took thousands of scientists, engineers and technicians decades to plan and build, and it continues to operate at the very boundaries of scientific knowledge. It first started up on 10 September 2008, and remains the latest addition to CERN’s accelerator complex. The LHC consists of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way. Map of LHC (located in Geneva, Switzerland) Thousands of magnets of different varieties and sizes are used to direct the beams around the accelerator. Just prior to collision, another type of magnet is used to "squeeze" the particles closer together to increase the chances of collisions. The particles are so tiny that the task of making them collide is akin to firing two needles 10 kilometres apart with suc...

Aerodynamics of a Golf Ball

One may wonder how a small golf ball can travel at incredibly high speeds for such long distances. While the swing of the club is a major component, the structure of the golf ball is quite important. Unlike a baseball or tennis ball, a golf ball has dimples all over it (usually 336 dimples). These dimples allow the golf ball to travel without facing much air resistance. This diagram shows how air travels around the golf ball. The dimples on the golf ball also prevent drag that would occur in the wake region, resulting in further distance. Also due to the contact with the club during the swing, the golf ball has backspin during its entire flight. This diagram shows the motion of the golf ball mid flight with the lift force of F. There are hundreds of different types of golf balls that a player can choose. Some show little affect to a player's game while others can alter their performance completely. Personally, I prefer Callaway Supers...

LSA E Mech 2017-18

Search This Blog