The Facility

Why Climbers Trust Rubber With Their Lives (2024x4)

Air date: Jan 31, 2024

Why is rubber so “sticky”? Why does rubber consistently have one of the highest coefficients of friction? What allows rock climbers to literally let their lives depend on the friction provided by climbing shoes? Like the conundrum of why water is wet, it turns out this question is more complicated than you think. Noted Science Zaddy Kyle Hill explains.