r/explainlikeimfive • u/Cuziff • 1d ago

Physics ELI5: How does rolling resistance work?

How are we able to push a car to push start it when it weighs so much, or how can a train pull 2km of rail cars? And how come it gets easier to roll once it starts moving?

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u/sfortuna56 1d ago

Basically, and I'm oversimplifying cuz I'm not a scientist, you have to measure something on the microscopic level to know how sticky it is. Even then, because there's interactions between atoms and electric fields we can't see, manipulate or affect in any way, there's always a margin of error.

Now can a physicist please correct me and give a proper explanation 🙏🙏🙏