Includes bibliographical references and index.

Written by one of the most distinguished scientists and a pioneer in this field, this monograph represents a stand-alone, concise guide to friction at the atomic level. It brings together hitherto widely-scattered information in one single source, and is the first to explain the nature of friction in terms of atomistic mechanisms. In addition to his detailed description on modeling and simulation, the author stresses experimental approaches like AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) techniques for verification of theory. In this respect the book will benefit the whole nanotribology community, from graduate students who want to get the basics right up to researchers specializing in mechanical engineering, materials science, physics and chemistry.