Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of atomic-scale thermal resistance at a solid-liquid interface are theoretically investigated with a simple modal analysis of a one-dimensional lattice system. In the modal analysis, the solid-liquid intermolecular interaction strength between is taken into account as the stiffness constant between the solid and liquid molecular masses, and plays a key role in understanding the interfacial thermal resistance. The results show that the interfacial thermal resistance is proportional to the 4th power of the ratio of the thermal oscillation frequencies for the solid and liquid molecules, which provides a better physical description for the interfacial thermal resistance. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.