Friction
Definition: The force that opposes the motion of moving object is called friction.
Explanation: Friction is force that comes into action as soon as a body is pushed or pulled over the surface.
Factors:
Following are factors of friction
Nature of surface
Pressing force
Nature of surface:
Rub your palm over different surfaces such as table carpet, polished marble surface and brick e.t.c.
You will find smoother is a surface easier it is to move your palm over the surface. So, smooth surface offers
less friction than rough surface.
Pressing Force:
Harder you press palm over the surface more difficult would it be to move. Greater is pressing force
greater will be the friction between the sliding surface.
Cold welds:
No surface is perfectly smooth. A surface that appears smooth has pits and bumps that can be seen
under a microscopic. Magnified view of two smooth surface in contact shows the gaps and contact between
them. The contact point between two surfaces from a sort of cold welds.
These cold welds resists the surfaces sliding over each other.
Force of Limiting Friction:
Friction can be increased to certain maximum value. It does not increase beyond this maximum
value. This maximum value of friction is as the force of limiting friction.
It is represented by Fs.
Coefficient of friction:
The ratio between the force of limiting friction Fs and the normal reaction R is constant. This
constant is called coefficient of friction.
It is represented by u.
It has no unit because it is a ratio between two similar quantities.
Mathematical steps:
U=Fs/R
Fs=uR
R = w = mg
Fs = umg
Advantages of friction:
We need friction to walk on a ground.
We need friction to write on paper with pencil.
Birds need friction to fly in the air.
Friction is needed to climb up a hill.
Disadvantages of friction:
Friction limits the speed of moving object
Most of our useful energy is lost as heat and sound due to the friction between various moving parts
of machines.
In machines friction causes wear and tear of their moving part.
Methods of reducing friction:
Making the sliding surface smooth.
Lubricating the sliding surface
Using ball bearing and roller bearing because the rolling friction is lesser than the sliding friction.
Making the fast moving object a streamline shape (fish shape) such as car, aeroplane e.t.c. This cause
the smooth flow of air and thus minimizes air resistant at high speed.
Rolling friction:
The friction produce during the motion of one body over the other with the help of wheels. The
rolling friction is also less then sliding friction.
Why rolling frication is less than sliding friction:
When the axel of the wheel is pushed, the force of friction between the wheel and the ground at the
point of contact provides the reaction force. The reaction force acts at the contact point of the wheel in a
direction opposite to the applied force. The wheel rolls without rupturing the cold weld. That is why the
rolling friction is much smaller than sliding friction.
Breaking and skidding:
The wheel of the moving vehicle have to two velocity components.
Motion of wheel along the road
Rotation of wheel about their axis
