{"id":232263,"date":"2026-02-28T02:15:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T08:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/2026\/02\/the-screech-of-peeling-sticky-tape-conceals-a-rapid-train-of-tiny-shockwaves-ultrafast-imaging-shows"},"modified":"2026-02-28T02:15:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T08:15:33","slug":"the-screech-of-peeling-sticky-tape-conceals-a-rapid-train-of-tiny-shockwaves-ultrafast-imaging-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/2026\/02\/the-screech-of-peeling-sticky-tape-conceals-a-rapid-train-of-tiny-shockwaves-ultrafast-imaging-shows","title":{"rendered":"The screech of peeling sticky tape conceals a rapid train of tiny shockwaves, ultrafast imaging shows"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"aligncenter blog-photo\" href=\"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog.images\/the-screech-of-peeling-sticky-tape-conceals-a-rapid-train-of-tiny-shockwaves-ultrafast-imaging-shows.jpg\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A new experiment has uncovered the mechanism responsible for the screeching sound made by peeling sticky tape. Using a combination of ultrafast imaging and synchronized acoustic recordings, Sigurdur Thoroddsen and colleagues at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have shown that the noise is produced by a rapid train of tiny shockwaves, released through a specialized form of stick\u2013slip motion. The research is published in <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/pre\/abstract\/10.1103\/p19h-9ysx\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Physical Review E<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever used sticky tape, you\u2019ll probably be all too familiar with the harsh sound it makes as it peels away from a surface. Yet despite decades of experimental scrutiny, physicists have yet to fully explain the origins of this intriguing acoustic effect.<\/p>\n<p>Previous studies established that peeling proceeds via a \u201cstick\u2013slip\u201d mechanism\u2014a jerky motion characterized by brief, rapid accelerations interrupted by sudden stops. Similar dynamics underpin phenomena ranging from <a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-02-physics-sneaker-high-imaging-supersonic.html?utm_source=embeddings&utm_medium=related&utm_campaign=internal\" rel=\"related\">earthquakes<\/a> to the squeak of basketball shoes on a polished wooden court. However, the fine details of how this process unfolds in peeling tape turned out to be more complex than they first appeared.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new experiment has uncovered the mechanism responsible for the screeching sound made by peeling sticky tape. Using a combination of ultrafast imaging and synchronized acoustic recordings, Sigurdur Thoroddsen and colleagues at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have shown that the noise is produced by a rapid train of tiny shockwaves, released through [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":427,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[219,1491],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-232263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-physics","category-transportation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/427"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232263\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}