VIRTUAL EXPERIMENT 6 – FRICTION

NAME: DATE:
STUDENT NUMBER: SECTION:

PREPARATIONS:
Before the experiment, the students must have researched/studied on the following:
1. Friction
2. Air Drag and Terminal Velocity

OBJECTIVE/S:
1. To verify the laws of friction.
2. To observe the effect of lubricant.
3. To observe the relation of terminal velocity to the mass of a falling object.

MATERIALS/LINKS REQUIRED:
1. The Physics Aviary – Friction Lab (https://www.thephysicsaviary.com/Physics/Programs/Labs/ForceFriction/)
2. The Concord Consortium – Lab Interactive: Terminal Velocity
(http://lab.concord.org/embeddable.html#interactives/inquiry-space/parachute.json)

PROCEDURE:
Activity 1 – Friction and Normal Force
1. Open the Physics Aviary – Friction Lab and click “Begin”. Set the type of surfaces and object mass to any desired
values.
2. Click “Start” and check the Force vs time graph below. Record the maximum static frictional force (f smax) and
kinetic frictional force (fk).
3. Make four (4) more trial while increasing the object’s mass each trial. The normal force (F N) is now equal to the
WEIGHT of the object.
4. Determine the coefficient of static friction (μs) and coefficient kinetic friction (μk) in each trial.
f smax fk
μs = μk =
Fn Fn
5. What relation exists between normal force and frictional force?

Activity 2 – Friction and Nature of Surfaces in Contact

1. Open the Physics Aviary – Friction Lab and click “Begin”. Set the type of surfaces and object mass to any desired
values.
2. Click “Start” and check the Force vs time graph below. Record the maximum static frictional force (f smax) and
kinetic frictional force (fk).
3. Make four (4) more trial while changing the type of surfaces each trial. The normal force (F N) is now equal to the
WEIGHT of the object.

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VIRTUAL EXPERIMENT 6 – FRICTION

NAME: DATE:
STUDENT NUMBER: SECTION:

4. Determine the coefficient of static friction (μs) and coefficient kinetic friction (μk) in each trial. (You can use the
same formula to determine μs and μk from Activity 1)
4. Does frictional force depends on the nature of surfaces in contact?

Activity 3 – Effect of Lubricant

1. Rub your hands together for 1 minute. Then put your hands on your cheeks. Observe what you feel.
2. Repeat the step 1 but put a small amount of lotion on your hands. Is it as hot as before? Why? Try with baby oil and
powder.

Activity 4 – Air Resistance.

1. Open the Concord Consortium – Lab Interactive: Terminal Velocity. Set the mass of the jumper and parachute size
to any desired values and click the play button.
2. From the graph, record the terminal velocity of the object.
3. Make four (4) more trial while increasing the jumper’s mass each trial.
4. Graph the terminal velocity (y-axis) vs mass (x-axis) and square of terminal velocity (y-axis) vs mass (x-axis).
5. What relation exist between terminal velocity and mass?

POST LABORATORY QUESTIONS:

1. Which will require a greater force: to start the motion of a heavy box or to keep the box moving with constant
speed?
2. Why is it difficult to walk with new leather shoes on a polished floor?
3. How can an adjustable inclined plane be used to measure the coefficient of static friction and coefficient of kinetic
friction?
4. The coefficient of static friction and coefficient of kinetic friction between a refrigerator and the floor are 0.45 and
0.38, respectively. If the refrigerator weighs 1000 N, find the horizontal force needed to (a) start the motion of the
refrigerator, (b) to keep the refrigerator moving at a constant speed once it started moving. If a horizontal force of 400
N is applied, what will happen to the refrigerator? In this situation, what is the value of friction?
5. Explain the usefulness of a parachute for safe landing.

REFERENCES:
- Silverio, A. (2019). Selected Physics Experiments Manual, Manila: University of Santo Tomas.
- Edmonds, D. (1998). Cioffari’s Experiments in College Physics, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company.
- The Physics Aviary (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.thephysicsaviary.com/index.html
- The Concord Consortium (2021). Retrieved from https://concord.org/

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

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VIRTUAL EXPERIMENT 6 – FRICTION

NAME: DATE:
STUDENT NUMBER: SECTION:

"Please be informed and reminded that all handouts, materials, and videos posted and uploaded in the course site are
copyrighted documents and contain copyrighted contents that are prepared for you as part of your privileges as an
enrolled student of UST. Kindly avoid and refrain from posting or sharing in any social media platform and/or
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DATA AND RESULTS SHEET

REMINDERS ON SUBMITTING THE DATASHEET FOR THE EXPERIMENTS:
1. Fill-in every detail on the datasheet.
2. Write your answers/data with their corresponding units.
3. Don’t forget to take screenshots of your activity.
4. Submit your datasheet in PDF form.

Activity 1:
Type of Surface: ______________________

Normal Force fsmax fk μs μk

Computations and screenshots of the activity:

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STUDENT NUMBER: SECTION:

Activity 2:
Normal Force of the object: ______________________

Type of Surfaces fsmax fk μs μk

Computations and screenshots of the activity:

Activity 3:
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STUDENT NUMBER: SECTION:

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Activity 4:

Mass of jumper Terminal Velocity Square of Terminal Velocity

Computations and screenshots of the activity:

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