PHYS 1820-A73
Experiment 6: Friction
Partner:
9/21/2025
Abstract
This experiment is designed to study the laws of friction, and determine the
coefficient of friction between two surfaces.
Theory
The theory behind this lab is that friction is the resisting force encountered when
one surface tries to slide over another, and that friction is different depending on
the roughness or smoothness of the surfaces. The force of friction of the two
surfaces can be found from
Ff=kFN
Ffis the force of friction, FNis the normal force, and kis the coefficient of kinetic
friction.
Procedure
1. Find the mass of the block.
2. Place the board flat on the lab table so that a pulley is off the end of the
table. Set the block down on the board with its largest surface, run string
from the block over the pulley and attach it to a mass hanging off the edge of
the pulley.
3. Place more and more mass on the hanger until there is just enough to keep
the block moving at a constant speed with a little push.
4. Record the weight of the mass on the hanger.
5. Repeat steps 2-5 with 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 grams on the wood
block.
6. Turn the block onto its side and repeat steps 2-5 with 400 grams on the wood
block.
7. Turn the block back onto its largest surface, and place 400 grams on it.
Increase the load on the hanger until the block moves at a constant speed,
but without any push, and record the weight on the hanger.
8. Move the board so that it can easily be lifted as an inclined plane. Set the
block down on the board with its largest surface, and slowly increase the
angle of the board until the block begins to slide down at a constant speed.
Stop increasing the angle of the board and measure the angle. Repeat this
two more times.
9. Repeat step 8 using a glass block.
10.Move the board so that it is at an angle of about 30°, and record the mass
needed to raise and lower the block at a constant speed with a small tap.
Repeat with a 45° angle.
Data/Results
See attached sheet(s).
Calculations
The coefficient of friction of the apparatus was found from using =m2m1
The coefficient of friction for the second setup can be found by tan()=
The coefficient of friction for the third setup can be found by =m2m1-sincos
Questions
1. a)As the mass on the block increases, the coefficient of friction slightly increases,
but is roughly the same
b)The coefficient of friction should stay exactly the same.
2. a)The coefficient of friction is very close to the same between the trials with
different surface areas.
b)The coefficient of friction should be exactly the same between the trials.
3. a)The incline only affected the coefficient of friction a little bit compared to the
flat surface, most likely because of human error.
b)The incline should not affect the coefficient of friction at all, compared to
the flat surface.
Conclusion
This lab was designed to study the laws of friction with various amounts of weights,
different angles, and different materials. During the experiment the amount of
weight needed to move a mass at a constant speed was observed, and then used in
a formula to find the coefficient of friction.
Errors
Errors that occurred during this lab could have been that the board was not
consistently smooth or rough. Oils from different people could have gotten on the
board and slightly changed the coefficient of friction, and at the beginning the
coefficient of static friction was taken instead of kinetic.
