Friction in Physics is defined as a type of force that always opposes the motion of the object on which it is applied. Suppose we kick a football and it rolls for some distance and eventually it stops after rolling for some time. This is because of the friction force between the ball and the ground. Here, the force acting opposite to the motion of the ball that stops the ball is called the friction or friction force. Friction acts between two surfaces when one surface is in a state of motion.
In this article, we will learn about, Friction, Factors Affecting Friction, Causes of Friction, its advantages, disadvantages, and others in detail.
What is Friction?
Friction is a force that opposes the motion of the object to which it is applied. Friction is responsible for stopping of car when the accelerator is turned off. Friction is a necessary evil and is responsible for various day-to-day activities. For walking, running, and various purposes friction is necessary. Friction is a non-conservative force that is work done by the friction force is dependent on the path chosen.
For example, when we wish to stop or slow down our car or bikes, we use brakes that increase the friction in the wheel and result in the stopping of the car. Friction always works in the opposite direction of motion. In the image added below, a block resting on the floor force is applied to the box such that it moves toward the east, now the friction opposes themotion of the object and acts in the west direction.
Unit of friction
- Friction is a type of force and so its unit is similar to the unit of force Newton (N) or ms-2.
- Its dimensional formula is [MLT-2].
An object resting on the floor on earth experiences a gravitational force on its body and that is balanced by the normal force from the ground. If an object of mass 'm' rests on the floor then the force it applies on the floor is,
Fg = mg
Now,
Normal Force(N) = -Fg = -mg
Friction force(F) acting on the object is given using the frictional force and the friction force is given as,
F = -μmg
where,
- μ is Coefficient of Friction
- m is Mass of Object
- g is Gravity of the Earth
Coefficient of Friction
Coefficient of Friction is defined as the ratio of the frictional force and the resisting force between two surfaces. We use Greek letter mu(μ), to represent the coefficient of friction. Higher the coefficient of friction higher is the friction force between two surfaces.
- For rough surfaces μ (coefficient of friction) is very high
- For smooth surfaces μ (coefficient of friction) is very low
If the normal force acting on the body is N and the frictional force acting on the body is F then the coefficient of friction is calculated by the formula,
μ = F/N
As coefficient of friction is the ratio of two or more term it is a dimension less quantity, i.e. it has no units.
Factors Affecting Friction
Factors affecting the friction force are given below,
- When two rough surfaces come into contact, the degree of friction between them is high due to the excessive interlocking of rough surfaces.
- Because there is less interlocking between smooth surfaces when two smooth surfaces are in touch, the degree of friction between them is low.
- It is also affected by the object's weight or the amount of force it exerts on the surface.
Causes of Friction
The cause of friction are the irregularities on two surfaces in contact that produce friction. As a result, as one object passes over another, the irregularities on the surface become intertwined, causing friction. The rougher the surface, the more irregularities there will be and the friction will be greater. The more smoother the surface the less friction it offeres.
Types of Friction
Friction are categorised into four types. The four types of friction are,
- Static friction
- Sliding friction
- Rolling friction
- Fluid friction
Now let's learn the same in detail,
Static friction
Static friction, also known as limiting frictional force, represents the resistance encountered between an object and the surface upon which it rests. To set an object in motion when it's at rest on a surface, you must exert a force greater than the frictional force between them. This concept applies to various activities, such as walking and rock climbing.
Sliding friction
When we move things across another surface, a force acts on the object, called sliding friction. It's not as strong as static friction. Think of sliding a block on a table, writing with a pen, or even playing on a slide—these are examples of sliding friction in action.
Rolling friction
Rolling friction is the resistance that happens when one object is made to roll on the surface of another. It's notably less intense than kinetic friction. You can observe rolling friction in everyday activities like roller skating and the use of ball bearings, where objects roll smoothly across surfaces.
Fluid friction
A substance that can flow and take the shape of its container is known as a fluid. Fluid friction refers to the resistance that liquids or gases present when an object is in motion within them. To put it simply, it's the frictional force exerted by fluids.
Effects of Friction
Various effects of the friction observed by us in our daily lives are,
- It results in a loss of power for various machines and engines.
- We can walk, run, play, and so forth due to friction.
- It generates heat, which may be used to warm sections of an item or ourselves.
- During any operation, it generates noise, etc.
Laws of Friction
Various laws of friction are,
- The friction between the moving item and the normal force is proportionate and perpendicular.
- Friction exists regardless of the area of contact as long as there is one.
- The object's friction is determined by the type of surface it comes into contact with.
- The static friction coefficient is higher than the kinetic friction coefficient.
- Velocity does not affect kinetic friction.
Application of Friction
Friction has various applications and that are added below,
- Friction is created by the movement of pistons in a cylinder.
- When matchsticks are lit, friction comes into play.
- Because there is friction between the pen and the board, writing on books and boards is feasible.
- Fixing a nail on a wall or in a wooden block is possible because of friction.
- The working of brakes in vehicles depends on friction. When brakes are applied, the rotation of the wheels is stopped by the forces of friction between the brake lining and the drum (or the wheel).
- It is the friction between the belt and the pulley that helps the rotation of various parts of a machine.
Disadvantages of Friction
Friction also has various advantages and they are added below,
- The efficiency of a machine goes down as it has to waste a fraction of its effort in overcoming friction.
- Friction produces heat which damages the parts of a machine.
- Friction contributes to the wear and tear of the parts of a machine.
- The engine of a car seizes. If it runs short of oil. The piston and the cylinder get so hot on account of excessive friction that they may get jammed.
Friction and Gravity
Friction force working on the body is,
F = μ.N
where,
- μ is the Coefficient of Friction
- N is Normal Force
Now the the normal force acting on the body is,
N = m.g
The normal force is a perpendicular force applied to the surface to the body. It is acted on the body by surface under the influence of gravity in the downward direction. Gravity is the downward acceleration experienced by anybody on the surface of any planet. This is responsible for weight experienced by the body. On a flat surface weight and Normal are opposite in direction. The surface in contact produces frictional force.
Friction and Force
friction is a type of force that opposes the motion of the object. Suppose an object moving on the floor comes to rest eventually, this is because of the friction. Generally when an object moves friction and force working on that body are opposite to each other. Suppose a force (f) works on the body then the friction force working on the body is,
Friction Force (F) = -μf
where,
- - sign indicates that friction force is opposite to the motion of the object
- μ is Coefficient of friction
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Explain the Working and Application of SONARSound energy is the type of energy that allows our ears to sense something. When a body vibrates or moves in a ‘to-and-fro' motion, a sound is made. Sound needs a medium to flow through in order to propagate. This medium could be in the form of a gas, a liquid, or a solid. Sound propagates through a
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Noise PollutionNoise pollution is the pollution caused by sound which results in various problems for Humans. A sound is a form of energy that enables us to hear. We hear the sound from the frequency range of 20 to 20000 Hertz (20kHz). Humans have a fixed range for which comfortably hear a sound if we are exposed
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Doppler Effect - Definition, Formula, ExamplesDoppler Effect is an important phenomenon when it comes to waves. This phenomenon has applications in a lot of fields of science. From nature's physical process to planetary motion, this effect comes into play wherever there are waves and the objects are traveling with respect to the wave. In the re
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Doppler Shift FormulaWhen it comes to sound propagation, the Doppler Shift is the shift in pitch of a source as it travels. The frequency seems to grow as the source approaches the listener and decreases as the origin fades away from the ear. When the source is going toward the listener, its velocity is positive; when i
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Electrostatics
ElectrostaticsElectrostatics is the study of electric charges that are fixed. It includes an study of the forces that exist between charges as defined by Coulomb's Law. The following concepts are involved in electrostatics: Electric charge, electric field, and electrostatic force.Electrostatic forces are non cont
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Electric ChargeElectric Charge is the basic property of a matter that causes the matter to experience a force when placed in a electromagnetic field. It is the amount of electric energy that is used for various purposes. Electric charges are categorized into two types, that are, Positive ChargeNegative ChargePosit
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Coulomb's LawCoulomb’s Law is defined as a mathematical concept that defines the electric force between charged objects. Columb's Law states that the force between any two charged particles is directly proportional to the product of the charge but is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between t
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Electric DipoleAn electric dipole is defined as a pair of equal and opposite electric charges that are separated, by a small distance. An example of an electric dipole includes two atoms separated by small distances. The magnitude of the electric dipole is obtained by taking the product of either of the charge and
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Dipole MomentTwo small charges (equal and opposite in nature) when placed at small distances behave as a system and are called as Electric Dipole. Now, electric dipole movement is defined as the product of either charge with the distance between them. Electric dipole movement is helpful in determining the symmet
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Electrostatic PotentialElectrostatic potential refers to the amount of electrical potential energy present at a specific point in space due to the presence of electric charges. It represents how much work would be done to move a unit of positive charge from infinity to that point without causing any acceleration. The unit
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Electric Potential EnergyElectrical potential energy is the cumulative effect of the position and configuration of a charged object and its neighboring charges. The electric potential energy of a charged object governs its motion in the local electric field.Sometimes electrical potential energy is confused with electric pot
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Potential due to an Electric DipoleThe potential due to an electric dipole at a point in space is the electric potential energy per unit charge that a test charge would experience at that point due to the dipole. An electric potential is the amount of work needed to move a unit of positive charge from a reference point to a specific
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Equipotential SurfacesWhen an external force acts to do work, moving a body from a point to another against a force like spring force or gravitational force, that work gets collected or stores as the potential energy of the body. When the external force is excluded, the body moves, gaining the kinetic energy and losing a
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Capacitor and CapacitanceCapacitor and Capacitance are related to each other as capacitance is nothing but the ability to store the charge of the capacitor. Capacitors are essential components in electronic circuits that store electrical energy in the form of an electric charge. They are widely used in various applications,
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