Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Taking Measure

Just a Standard Blog

Richard Gates

Richard S. Gates is a chemical engineer and leader of the NIST Nanomechanical Properties Group. During his 37+ years at NIST, he has enjoyed working on a variety of interesting and challenging projects from recycled oil, boundary lubrication, tribochemistry, hard disk lubrication, and microfabrication, to atomic force microscopy measurements and standards. He grew up in the Bahamas and traded in coconut oil and conch fritters for lubricating oil and Maryland crab cakes to pursue his passion for science at NIST.

Make a Mint Using Measurement Science

May 2, 2016

Put your hands together. Now move them back and forth to rub them against each other. Feel that heat? That’s from friction. No matter if it’s between siblings

Search

Email alerts

Stay connected

About this blog

Taking Measure is the official blog of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

It provides a behind-the-scenes look at NIST’s research and programs, covering a broad range of science and technology areas. Through this blog, NIST’s researchers and staff share why they do what they do and how today’s research will lead to tomorrow’s innovations.

The views presented here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of NIST.

If you have any questions about our blog or reprint requests, please contact us at takingmeasure [at] nist.gov (takingmeasure[at]nist[dot]gov).