Frictional Forces

A set of flashcards covering the fundamental concepts of friction, including types, causes, and measurements.

What is friction?

Friction is the force that resists the motion of two surfaces moving past one another.

What causes friction?

Friction is caused by intermolecular attractions between particles of the two adjoining surfaces.

What variable does the normal force (FN) affect in friction?

The normal force is the force with which two surfaces are pressed together, affecting the amount of friction.

What is the coefficient of friction (μ)?

The coefficient of friction is a unitless value that indicates the nature of the two surfaces sliding across each other.

What are the two main categories of friction?

The two main categories of friction are kinetic friction and static friction.

What is kinetic friction?

Kinetic friction is the friction force that resists the movement of two surfaces past one another.

What is the formula for kinetic friction?

Ffk = μk • FN, where Ffk is the kinetic friction force.

What is static friction?

Static friction is the friction that resists the motion of two stationary surfaces past one another and prevents the onset of motion.

What is the formula for static friction?

Ffs ≤ μs • FN, where Ffs is the static friction force.

Name the three types of kinetic friction.

The three types of kinetic friction are sliding friction, rolling friction, and fluid friction.

What is sliding friction?

Sliding friction occurs when two surfaces slide or rub against each other.

What is rolling friction?

Rolling friction occurs when an object rolls on a surface.

What is fluid friction?

Fluid friction occurs when an object is moving through a fluid (liquid or gas).

What is the importance of a spring scale in experiments on friction?

A spring scale is used to measure the tension and forces involved in determining the coefficients of friction.

Why is it important to pull at a constant velocity in the Mu of Shoe (μ) Demo?

Pulling at a constant velocity ensures accurate measurements of friction without additional forces affecting the results.