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Friction may not seem that important, but with without it, our world would nearly come to a halt.
We wouldn't be able to write – the lack of friction would keep any ink or graphite from coming off on the page. We wouldn't be able to use matches to start fires and we would barely be able to pick them up.
Things get much much worse from here...
We wouldn't be able to walk, but we would also be able to move for very long periods of time over long distances due to the lack of friction slowing us down. We owe our ability to walk almost entirely to the friction between the soles of our shoes and the ground, without it, we might just look like a video game character experiencing some lag. If we were able to find something to push off of, we could move almost indefinitely until we ran into something. That means you could stand on a highway, push off from your car and just keep moving as long as you'd like.
...but good luck stopping.
Stopping yourself from moving would likely involve smashing into something – really hard. Not only would there be a lack of friction between surfaces, there would also be a lack of air resistance due to the loss of molecular friction. If you pushed off of something, with a small acceleration, you would continue accelerating until you... hit something.
Stopping yourself would be easy compared to stopping other objects like cars. Engines in cars would work, but brakes wouldn't work. So if we wanted to drive anywhere, we would have to plan on getting in an accident every time we wanted to park.
None of that matters, however, because you couldn't even drive. Say goodbye to any sort of traction between your tires and the ground. Your car's engine could theoretically still work and it would likely still turn your car's wheels, but that's about the extent of it.
So, when friction stops working, you'll be stuck wherever you are unable to pick up anything or start your car, but you could move endlessly with a small push which means traveling across the world with almost no energy. That doesn't sound TOO bad.
It gets much much worse... Let's take a look at just how bad it gets.
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Music:
Namaste by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license ([ Ссылка ])
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