Grade 8

Notes of Chapter Friction

What is Friction?
●​ Friction is a force that comes into play when two surfaces come in contact with each
other.
●​ The Frictional force or the force of Friction acts in the opposite direction of the
motion of the object.
●​ The force of Friction opposes the relative motion between the surfaces of two moving
objects.
Cause of friction
●​ Friction occurs due to surface irregularities of the two objects in contact.
●​ Adhesive forces between surfaces in contact.
●​ Plowing effect.

Surface irregularities
●​ All surfaces, when zoomed into a microscopic level, contain hills and valleys that
interlock when they move or rub on top of each other.
●​ This unevenness of the surface is called surface irregularities or roughness.
●​ Rough surfaces have larger irregularities, while smoother surfaces have lesser
irregularities.
Adhesive forces
●​ When two surfaces are in contact, they start to form bonds and begin to stick to each
other. This phenomenon is called Adhesion.
 ●​ When we try to move objects that are on top of one another, we are basically breaking
the bonds or overcoming the adhesive forces.

Plowing effect
●​ When surfaces are soft or can change their shape easily, they get deformed when they
come in contact with another object. Ex: carpets, when a heavy object is placed on
them, it looks like a valley that is caused by the deformation of the shape.
●​ This effect of the surfaces sinking into each other is known as the Plowing effect.

Factors that can affect Friction

Contact between two surfaces

1.​ The irregularities of a surface: If we move an object with has an irregular or rough
surface on another surface which is also irregular, the force of Friction will be high in
this case and the movement of the object would be restricted.
2.​ The regularity of a surface or its smoothness: If the surfaces of either the objects or
are smooth, the force of Friction would be less and the object would move easily over
the surface. Even smooth surfaces have a certain irregularity.
3.​ If two surfaces are pressed hard: the force of Friction increases between two
surfaces if they are pressed hard and hence the movement of the object becomes
restricted. However, if there is no pressure the object can easily move.

Nature of surfaces for Friction

Smooth surfaces: less friction

Rough surfaces: greater friction

Friction when object is pressed hard

Greater pressing force means Greater friction.

Friction according to mass of object

Greater mass: Greater friction

Calculating frictional force using a spring balance

●​ Using a spring balance, we can find the frictional forces opposed by different
materials.
●​ Sandpaper gives a higher reading as compared to stainless steel.
Christian Huygens, invented the first balance springs.

Spring balance measures the weight. Spring balances are used commercially.
Working of spring balance: Spring balance consists of a coiled spring that gets
stretched when a force is applied to it. Stretching of the spring is measured by a
pointer moving on a graduated scale. The reading on the scale gives the magnitude of
force or weight of the object.

Types of friction:
There are four types of frictions:
[Link] friction
[Link] friction
[Link] friction
[Link] friction

1. Static friction: The word static means at rest. Static friction can be defined as the
friction that acts when we try to move an object at rest or the object which is not
moving. It is the strongest type of friction.
Example – Cup placed on a table
Scenery hanging on a wall
A car parked on a hill.
Limiting friction is the friction acting on a body when it is about to start moving.

2. Sliding friction Sliding friction is smaller than static friction as a smaller force is
now required to keep the object moving. Sliding friction can be defined as the friction
that acts when two surfaces slide over each other. If the applied force exceeds the
limiting friction the irregularities on it do not get interlocked on the surface on which
it is moving.
Example -when a log of wood is moved on a flat surface, it slides.
[Link] friction Rolling friction is always less than sliding friction as rolling
reduces friction. Rolling friction is the weakest type of friction. Rolling friction can
be defined as the force that opposes the motion when an object rolls over another
object.
Example – Ball bearings , Skateboards.\

4. Fluid friction The above three friction occur between solid surfaces whereas fluid
friction occurs in fluids, that is in liquids or gases. A fluid is a substance that can flow
and take the shape of a container. Fluid friction can be defined as the friction that
occurs when objects move across fluids. Another name for fluid friction is drag. It
resists the movement of viscous fluids relative to each other. The force exerted by
fluids is called drag. Drag force acts in a direction opposite to the direction of motion
of the object.
Example - When an aeroplane moves at a high speed it experiences air resistance.
Fluid friction depends on the following factors:
1. speed of the object with respect to the fluid.
2. the shape of the object.
3. size of the object.
4. nature of the fluid.

Ways to reduce fluid friction:

As when objects move through fluids, they lose some of their energy in overcoming
the fluid friction which decreases the efficiency of an object. To overcome this there is
a need to reduce fluid friction.
Fluid friction can be reduced by moulding the shape of an object which offers little
resistance to fluids. The streamlined shape is best suited for objects that move in air or
water. The streamlined shape is like a thin wedge that cut the air or water and moves
forwards.
For example – An aeroplane has a special shape called streamlined shape to reduce
friction offered by air. Similarly, boats, birds and fishes have this special and suitable
shape to reduce fluid friction and avoid loss of energy.
Friction - A necessary evil:
Friction is called a necessary evil as friction has its advantages as well as disadvantages also.
On the soles of shoes, the grooves are present. Grooved soles provide increased friction to the
ground, resulting in a greater grip when walking. Because the earth has friction, we can walk
easily. As a result, friction is required even in simple tasks such as walking.
Moving on a wet muddy route or a damp marble floor is a challenging chore. This is due to
the fact that these surfaces provide relatively little friction to a person's feet.

Advantages of Frictional Force

Frictional force is necessary for various purposes in our daily lives such as:

●​ It allows us to walk on the earth surface.

●​ It allows us to write with a pen on a surface or a paper.
●​ It allows us to fix a nail in the wall.
●​ A moving object would never be able to come to the state of rest without the
Frictional force.
●​ It would not be possible to drive any automobiles on the road without the Friction
force.
●​ It would not be possible to construct any buildings without the Frictional force.
Disadvantages of Frictional Force
●​ Frictional force results in wear and tear of objects such as the moving parts of a
machine, the tyres of a vehicle, sole of the shoes etc.
●​ It also results in the production of heat. In the case of machines, the production of
heat leads to wastage of energy.
●​ The Frictional force also leads to a decrease in the speed of a moving object or
some time stops it.
●​ It can lead to noise pollution in certain cases. For instance, aircrafts produce loud
sound due to the resistance of the air.

Ways to reduce friction:

1.​ Use of lubricants (Substances like oil or grease polish on the surface of machines to
reduce friction and the process of applying lubricants to machines is known as
lubrication)
2.​ The use of wheels also helps to reduce friction.
3.​ The streamlined body of an object can reduce friction.
4.​ The use of ball bearings between machine parts greatly helps to reduce friction as
rolling friction is less than sliding friction.
 5.​ Sprinkling powder on dholak can reduce friction.
6.​ Polishing surfaces that come into contact with one another way to reduce friction.
Polishing the surface eliminates imperfections and thereby smooths the surface.
Ways to increase friction:
1.​ Under some circumstances, there is a need to increase friction.
2.​ Make surfaces rougher- The roughness of the surfaces in contact can be enhanced to
increase friction.
3.​ By increasing the mass of the object that is moving.
4.​ The treads (A series of patterns) present on the tyres of car, buses and trucks help to
increase friction
5.​ The grooves on the sole of shoes help to increase friction and provide better grip to
the ground.
6.​ The brake shoes in automobiles are used to increase friction.

How wheels reduce Friction?

●​ We know that when an object rolls over a surface rolling Friction is produced
which resists its motion on the surface. However, its magnitude is lesser than the
static and sliding Friction.
●​ Wheels are circulating objects that turn around a center point.
●​ The wheels allow an object to roll over a surface rather than allowing them to slide
over the surface.
●​ This results in less Friction and hence easy movement of the object.
●​ Rolling Friction is also used in the parts of machines that are moving continuously.
●​ In this way, the sliding Friction is removed with the help of rolling Friction and
therefore the adverse effects of Friction such as the production of heat or wear and
tear of the mechanical parts are also reduced.
●​ For instance, ball bearings are being used in fans and bicycles to reduce Friction.