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Subject: Word of the day: stiction

From: Ken Leonard <ken@...>
Date: 2012-02-02

The Word of the Day for February 2 is:

stiction \STIK-shun\ noun
: the force required to cause one body in contact with another to begin to move

Examples:
Tire quality can affect stiction at the start of an auto race.

"Stiction is stationary friction. Starting the bolt turning takes more
force than keeping it turning. The tighter the bolt, the more stiction
can affect torque readings." -- From an article by Jim Kerr in the
Winnipeg Free Press, December 30, 2011

Did you know?
"Stiction" has been a part of the English language since at least
1946, when it appeared in a journal of aeronautics. The word is a
combination of the "st-" of "static" ("of or relating to bodies at
rest") and the "-iction" of "friction" ("the force that resists
relative motion between two bodies in contact"). So, basically, it
means "static friction" (or to put it another way, as in our second
example sentence, "stationary friction").

(From http://www.merriam-webster.com/)

--

"Stiction" is also used to describe the conditions where Mellotron
tapes do not return properly. :-)

http://www.kleonard.com/mellotron/mellotronia/techtalk.htm

...kl...