Researchers have uncovered friction without contact—driven entirely by magnetic interactions. As two magnetic layers slide, their internal forces compete, causing constant rearrangements that dramatically increase resistance at certain distances. This creates a surprising peak in friction instead of a steady rise, breaking a long-standing physics law.
I’m not sure the object’s particles are the observable parts though. When a photon bumps into your table and then into your eye, allowing you to see the table, does it bump directly into the table particles, or does it interact with the particles’ field?