Squeaky Shoes
FILE - United States' LeBron James (6) wears shiny shoes while warming up during a men's gold medal basketball game against France at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France.
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A new study uses physics to uncover why sneakers squeak on the basketball court. Scientists slid a shoe against a smooth glass plate over and over, filming it and recording the squeaking sounds with a microphone. As the shoe works hard to keep its grip, the sole changes shape thousands of times per second as it momentarily loses and then regains contact with the floor at a frequency that matches the pitch of the loud squeak we hear. These insights can help scientists understand essential questions about friction, which has important practical applications. The study was published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
