niconiconiJan 12, 2025
Condensed-matter physics be like...
Q: Why does glass conduct heat with this particular value of thermal conductivity?
A: We are not sure. Try getting a PhD and a fast computer to answer that yourself, don't forget to publish it as everyone else is waiting for it.
Show threadIgnas KielaJan 12, 2025
@niconiconi I don't think there's any established way to non-experimentally predict a friction coefficient between two materials either.

The best I can find are machine learning models for some specific classes of materials like steel or specific ceramics.
Show threadniconiconiJan 12, 2025
@ignaloidas There's still no established way to predict whether a material is positively or negatively charged after rubbing it against something. I suppose that triboelectricity is a much simpler problem than friction.
AmplitronJan 12, 2025
Show threadIgnas Kiela
@niconiconi Rubbing things together, how hard could it be?

As it turns out, incredibly hard.
Jan 12, 2025 at 9:32pmWeb