The City School PAF Chapter Senior Section
Friction
When we throw a ball on the floor, it starts moving with some velocity. But ideally, no force should be acting in the
direction of motion, and according to Newton’s first law, the ball should keep rolling, but this does not happen.
Instead, the ball stops after moving a certain distance, so a force must be acting on it. We call this force “friction.”
What Is Friction?
Friction is defined as the resistance offered by the surfaces that are in contact when they move past each other.
Friction provides traction that is needed to walk without slipping. Friction is helpful in most cases. However, they
also offer a great measure of opposition to the motion. In addition, about 20 per cent of the engine power of
automobiles is consumed in overcoming frictional forces in the moving parts. In the next section, let us go through
some of these factors.
Factors Affecting Friction
Friction is a force that is dependent on external factors. Following are the two factors on which friction depends:
1. On the nature of the two surfaces that are in contact
Friction is dependent on the smoothness or roughness of the two surfaces that are in contact
with each other. When the surface is smooth, the friction between the two reduces as there is
not much interlocking of irregularities. While the surface is rough, friction increases.
2. On the force that is acting on these surfaces
Friction increases when the force is applied along with the irregularities.
What Causes Friction?
Friction is caused due to the irregularities on the two surfaces in contact. So, when one object moves over the other,
these irregularities on the surface get entangled, giving rise to friction. The more the roughness, the more
irregularities and more significant will be the friction.
Types of Friction
There are four types of friction and they are classified as follows:
Static friction
Sliding friction
Rolling friction
Fluid friction
All four types of frictions are different from each other. For example, static friction is the friction that acts between
the surfaces when they are at rest with respect to each other. In contrast, sliding friction is the resistance created
between any two objects when sliding against each other. Similarly, understand the nature of different types of
friction from the article below.
Read more:Types of Friction
Watch the Video and Learn about Friction, Coefficient and Properties of Friction
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Applications of Friction
Friction finds application when matchsticks are ignited.
Motion of pistons in a cylinder is an application of friction.
It is possible to write on books and board as there is friction between pen and the board.
Friction Problem with Solution
Block A is kept on top of block B; the coefficient of static friction between A and B is 0.6 and between B and
ground is 0.5. Also, the coefficient of kinetic friction between A and B is 0.4 and between B and ground is 0.3. If
a force of 60 N is applied on block B, Find the acceleration of both the blocks. Mass of block A is 5 kg, and
Block B is 10 Kg.
Solution:
The first step should always be to draw the F.B.D of the given setup:
Let’s consider that both blocks are moving with the same acceleration, then A + B can be considered as a system, so
the force equation in the horizontal direction will be,
60–f1 = 15a —— (1)
Since block B is moving over the surface, hence it is sliding friction.
Therefore, in this case we will use coefficient of friction as 0.3, f1 = 0.3 × 15 × 10 N f1 = 45 N —— (2)
From (1) and (2)
we have, a = 1m/s2 From F.B.D of block A, f = 5.a
Putting the value of a, we get, f = 5 N
Maximum value of static friction between A and B = 0.6 × 5 × 10 = 30 N
As f lies within the range, the two blocks can move together with an acceleration of 1 m/s 2. We can also be asked to
find the maximum force applied to block B so that both blocks move together. In that case, since both blocks will
move together, there will be static friction between the two, and hence the maximum value that can act is 30 N.
Therefore, acceleration of B, a = 305 m/s2 = 6 m/s2
For Block A,F – 45 – 30 = 10 × 6 F = 135 N
So if a force of more than 135 N is applied, both blocks will have different accelerations.
Understand the Common Misconception about Friction by Watching the Video
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Questions
Q1
How does friction produce heat?
When surfaces in contact move relative to each other, the friction between the two surfaces convert kinetic energy
into heat.
Q2
How is friction useful?
Friction helps us in walking. For example, the friction between the shoes and the floor stops us from slipping.
Similarly, the friction between the car and the road prevents the car from sliding.
Q3
Why is friction a non-conservative force?
Friction is a non-conservative force because the amount of work done by the friction depends on the path.
Q4
Will friction increase as the speed increases?
No, friction is not affected by the increase in speed.
Q5
Can friction be zero?
No, it is impossible to have zero friction because every surface will have minor irregularities no matter how
lubricated.
Q1. The resistance offered by the surfaces that are in contact with each other when they move over each other is
known as?
Options:
A
friction
B
force
C
pressure
D
stress
Q2. Lubricants and ball bearings are used for?
Options:
A
reducing the friction
B
increasing the friction
C
nullifying friction
D
no changes observed
Q3. On which of the following factor does the friction depend?
Options:
A
smoothness of surface
B
inclination of surface
C
roughness of surface
D
all of these
Q4. Which of the following is used for increasing the friction?
Options:
A
using sand
B
using lubricants
C
using ball bearings
D
all of these
Q5. Which type of force is friction?
Options:
A
contact force
B
electrostatic force
C
magnetic force
D
non-contact force
Q6.
