Dr. Kari Dalnoki-Veress demonstrates the astounding strength of two phone books connected only by interweaving the pages together. Dr. Dalnoki-Veress has recently published an analysis of the long-known but unexplained phenomenon and a model of the system with French colleagues in Physical Review Letters. This model system provides a framework for the accurate measurement of friction forces and coefficients at low loads and is relevant for complex assemblies spanning from the macro- down to the nanoscale.

The McMaster daily news covers the strength of the assembly and provides a real-world demonstration in a video pitting students in a tug-of-war against the friction between sheets of paper. You can read more and watch the videohere.