Help: Friction on a flat surface
Friction is the force that opposes motion. It’s caused when two surfaces interact and molecules from one
surface bump into the molecules from another.
Broadly speaking there are two kinds of friction: Kinetic friction and static friction
Kinetic friction is the force opposing the motion of a moving object
Static friction is the force opposing the motion of a resting object. Static friction is usually stronger than
kinetic friction.
In order to accelerate a resting object you need to apply more force than static friction. The rules about Net
Force apply. *Remember forces in opposite directions are subtracted. Forces in the same direction are added.
Friction always moves in the opposite direction.*
Friction has two parts.
Force normal. This is the force of the surface on the object. The more force an object puts on the
surface the bigger the force of friction will be. If I put a piece of paper on the wall it will quickly fall. The
force of friction isn’t nearly strong enough to keep it on the wall. However, if put a force on the paper with my
hand or a magnet, the paper will stay. There is now enough friction to keep the object from moving. On a flat
surface force normal is the same number as the force of gravity. Fn = Fg = m x 10. (technically the
acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 but we often round up to 10 to make things easier).
Coefficient of friction. Each surface is a little bit different. Some surfaces like ice have so little friction
it’s almost immeasurable. Others like tar or rubber are so sticky they have huge amounts of friction. Athletes
wear cleats on their feet to give them better traction. They’re changing their shoes to give them more friction.
The coefficient of friction is a mathematical symbol that describes the surface. A small coefficient of friction
means that the surface has very little friction. A large coefficient of friction means that the surface has a big
force of friction. We give the coefficient of friction the greek letter mu or 𝜇
Force of Friction is Force Normal times the coefficient of friction. Ff = 𝜇Fn or 𝜇mg
Friction without acceleration
The coefficient of static friction on a 3 Kg book resting on the table is 0.4. Determine the minimum amount
of force required to move the book.
Notes: This is just a way of asking how much friction is between the book and table. Once I apply a force
greater than the static friction the object will move. The problem is phrased this way to get the student to
think about the relationship between friction and movement.
Equation: Ff = 𝜇Fn
Fn= m x g → 3 x 10 → 30N
𝜇 = 0.4
0.4 x 30 = 12N
There is 12N of static friction between the book and the table. You must apply 12N of force to move the
book.
It requires 55N of applied force to move an 11 Kg box across the floor at a constant velocity. Determine the
coefficient of kinetic friction between the box and the floor.
Notes: This problem is asking if you can rearrange the friction equation to come up with an answer. It
requires understanding the relationship between the force of friction, mass, and the coefficient of friction.
The phrase “constant velocity” is important here. It tells you that there is zero acceleration. If the acceleration
is zero then the net force must be zero. If the net force is zero than the applied force must equal the force of
friction. Remember, the force of friction is an opposing force. It will cancel out the applied force. This is
another way of saying that the force of friction is 55N
Equation: Ff = 𝜇Fn
Fn = 11 x 10 → 110N
Ff = 55N
55
55=μ 110 → =μ → 𝜇 = 0.5
110
Friction with acceleration
A block of wood is at rest in front of you. The coefficient of static friction between the wood and the table is
0.25 The mass of the block is 6 Kg. What amount of applied force do you need to accelerate the block of
wood 5m/s2
Notes: There are four forces here: Force of gravity, the normal force, the force of friction and the applied
force. Because there’s an acceleration there is a net force which is what this problem is asking you to find.
The vertical forces (gravity and force normal) do not help you find the acceleration directly but they are
necessary to figure out the force of friction. The net force is a combination of the force of friction and the
applied force. The net force is easy to find with F= ma. It’s figuring out it’s relationship with friction that
trips up most students.
Friction
Equation: Ff = 𝜇Fn
Fn = Fg =mg→ 6 x 10 = 60
𝜇 = 0.25
Ff = 60 x0.25 =15
Equation F= ma
Mass = 6
a=5
F= 6 x 5 = 30
Note: This is the net force. After all the forces are accounted for the net force must be enough to accelerate
the object 5m/s2. This is not the applied force as some students often think. This is the force AFTER friction.
The applied force includes friction.
Net force = Fa + -Ff
30N = Fa - 15N
Fa =45N