Da Leonardo da Vinci alla nanotribologia: storia delle ricerche e delle teorie sui fenomeni d’attrito

The most important topics and results of research on friction, from antiquity to now, are outlined: the early laws and theories, from Leonardo to Amontons and Coulomb; the theory of lubrication and the models of rolling friction from 1840 to 1930; the theories of wear, the synthesis of Bowden and Tabor and the birth of tribology; the recent developments, friction at the nano-scale, nanotribology. Didactic reflections introduce and conclude the article.