Friction:
Definition:
“Force that opposes the sliding of one surface over another
is called friction.”
Unit: SI unit of friction is newton (N)
Dimensions: Friction has dimensions of force i.e., MLT −2
Note:
i. The magnitude of normal reaction R between two surfaces in contact.
ii. Friction is a self-adjusting force which does not increase indefinitely with external force.
Origin of Friction:
Classical View:
According to classical view, when two objects are kept
in contact, there forms an interlock between the
irregular surfaces and to break the interlock, we need
an extra force. This force measures the force of
friction.
Modern View:
According to modern theory, friction is due to
intermolecular force of attraction between the
surfaces in contact. When two surfaces are put
together, the actual area of contact is very less than
apparent area of contact. The pressures at the Contact points are very high and the molecules
are pushed very close so that attractive forces between them weld (cold welding) the surfaces
together at contact point.
Types of Friction:
Friction is of two types (1) Static Friction (2) Kinetic Friction
1. Static Friction:
Static friction is the force of friction between two surfaces as long as there is no relative
motion between them
𝑓𝑠 ≤ 𝜇𝑠 𝑛
Explanation:
Consider a block on a horizontal surface. It is under the action of following
forces.
(1) W=Weight of the block (2) n=Normal reaction (3) F=applied force (4) f=friction
W and R cancel each other out. Now increase F gradually, body does not slide indicating
friction ‘f’ increases with F. If we keep increasing F, a stage will reach until the block is on the
verge of sliding. At this point, the maximum value of friction is called limiting friction.
Limiting Friction:
Limiting friction is the maximum value of friction between two surfaces in contact when there
is no relative motion between them.
Coefficient of Friction:
Coefficient of friction of a pair of surface in contact is defined as
“The ratio between the force of limiting friction to the normal reaction.”
It is denoted by μ
f
μ=
n
μ is a unitless and dimensionless quantity.
2. Kinetic Friction:
Kinetic friction is the friction between two surfaces in contact when there is a relative
motion between them
𝑓𝑘 ≤ 𝜇𝑘 𝑛
Types of Kinetic Friction:
i. Sliding Friction:
“When our body tends to slide over the other, the friction between their surfaces is
called sliding friction.”
ii. Rolling Friction:
“When our body rolls over a surface of other, the friction between their surfaces is
called rolling friction.”
Note: Kinetic friction is less than the sliding friction and rolling friction is less than sliding
friction.
Laws of Friction:
a) The frictional force opposes the relative motion of two surfaces.
b) The frictional force is parallel to the surfaces in contact.
c) The frictional force is directly proportional to the normal reaction.
d) The frictional force is independent of the area of contact.
e) The frictional force depends upon the nature of the two surfaces in contact and their
state of roughness.
f) The kinetic friction is independent of the relative velocities of the surfaces.
No applied force Weak applied force Stronger applied force Box sliding at constant
Box at rest Box remains at rest Box remains just speed
No friction Static friction about to slide Kinetic friction
Static friction
Box at rest; static friction Box moving; kinetic friction is
equals applied force essentially constant.
Angle of friction:
“Angle of friction is the angle which the resultant of limiting friction and normal reaction
makes with the normal reaction.”
In ∆𝐿𝐴𝐶,
𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑝 𝐴𝐿 𝑓
𝑡𝑎𝑛𝛼 = = =
𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝐴𝐶 𝑅
But,
𝑓
𝜇=
𝑅
So
tan 𝛼 = 𝜇
Therefore, the tangent of angle of friction is called coefficient of friction.
Angle of Repose:
The minimum angle of inclination of a plane with the horizontal such that a body placed on the
inclined just begins to slide down is called angle of repose.
Relation Between Angle of Friction and Angle of Repose:
Let us consider a body of mass ‘m’ resting on a plane. When the plane makes an angle 𝜃
with the horizontal, the body just begins to move. Forces acting on the body are:
𝑊 = 𝑚𝑔, weight of the body acting downwards
𝑅 = Normal reaction perpendicular to inclined plane
𝑓 = frictional force
Weight can be resolved in two components parallel and
perpendicular to the inclined plane i.e., 𝑚𝑔 sin 𝜃 and 𝑚𝑔 sin 𝜃. If
angle 𝜃 of inclined plane is increased, a time will come, when
the body is just about to slide, at the time friction is called limiting friction and the angle 𝜃 is
called angle of repose and angle between resultant of limiting friction and normal reaction is
called angle of friction (𝛼). When the body is just about to slip, net force along 𝑥-axis (parallel to
inclined plane) and 𝑦-axis (perpendicular to the inclined plane) is zero. Hence, we can write:
𝑚𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 = 𝑓 − − − (1)
𝑚𝑔𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 = 𝑅 − − − (2)
Dividing equation (1) and (2)
𝑚𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 𝑓
=
𝑚𝑔𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 𝑅
𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 𝑓
=
𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 𝑅
𝑓
𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 = − − − (3)
𝑅
But
𝑓
= 𝜇 = tan 𝛼
𝑅
where 𝜇 is the coefficient of friction.
So equation (3) can be written as
𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝛼
⇒𝜃=𝛼
This indicates that when the body is just about to slide down on inclined plane, angle of repose
is equal to angle of friction.
