Frictional Force

What Is Frictional Force?
Frictional force is the force generated by two surfaces that contact and slide against each other.
A few factors affecting the frictional force:
 These forces are mainly affected by the surface texture and the amount of force impelling them
together.
 The angle and position of the object affect the amount of frictional force.
 If an object is placed flat against an object, then the frictional force will be equal to the object’s
weight.
 If an object is pushed against the surface, then the frictional force will be increased and becomes more
than the weight of the object.
Here is an engaging video explaining frictional force in detail
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Calculating the Force of Friction

The maximum amount of friction force that a surface can apply upon an object can be easily
calculated with the use of the given formula:
Ffrict = µ • Fnorm
To help you calculate the frictional force, here we have provided methodical steps to follow
while calculating the force of friction.
 Find the Normal Force
The normal force is the support force exerted upon an object that is in contact with another stable
object. The normal force can be simply described in most cases by the following formula:
N = mg
In this formula, m describes the object’s mass, and g stands for the acceleration due to gravity. In the case of
an inclined surface, the strength of the normal surface is reduced the more the surface is inclined, hence the
formula becomes:
N = mg cos(θ)
θ represents the angle to the surface is inclined to. In a simple calculation, you would calculate the normal
force of a 2-kg block of wood sitting on a surface as N = 2 kg × 9.8 N/kg = 19.6 N
 Finding the Right Co-efficient
The co-efficient you choose depends on the object and the specific situation. If the object isn’t
moving across the surface, you use the coefficient of static friction
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, but if the object under consideration is moving, you use the coefficient of sliding friction
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. The type of materials used also affects the co-efficient. For example, if a block was on a brick surface, the
coefficient would be 0.6, but if it were on a block of clean wood, it would range from 0.25 to 0.5.
 Calculating Frictional Force
As discussed, the formula for frictional force is given by F = μN.
As an example, let us consider the block of wood that weighs 2-kg resting on a table to be
pushed from rest. In this case, we consider the static friction coefficient. 0.5 is the static
coefficient of wood.
With the given details, we can calculate the normal force as N = 2 kg × 9.8 N/kg = 19.6 N Now
that we have the values of normal force and static friction co-efficient, we can calculate the
frictional force as follows:
F = 0.5 × 19.6 N = 9.8 N
Are there Different Types of Frictional Force?
Yes, there are different types of frictional forces. The friction that takes place between solid
surfaces is classified as Static, Kinetic, Rolling, and Sliding Friction. The friction that takes
place between fluids and gases is termed as fluid Friction. Hence, friction is broadly classified
as:
 Dry Friction
 Static Friction
 Kinetic Friction
 Rolling Friction
 Sliding Friction
 Fluid Friction
Dry Friction
Dry friction describes the reaction between two solid bodies in contact when they are in motion
(kinetic friction) and when they are not (static friction). Both static and kinetic friction is
proportional to the normal force exerted between the solid bodies. The interaction of different
substances is modelled with different coefficients of friction. By this, we mean that certain
substances have a higher resistance to movement than others for the same normal force between
them. Each of these values are experimentally determined.
Read about the different types of dry friction from the links given below:
Static Friction Kinetic Friction
Rolling Friction Sliding Friction
Watch the video and learn about friction, coefficient of

friction and properties of friction
2,813
Fluid Friction
Fluid Friction is the force that obstructs the flow of fluid. It is a situation where the fluid
provides resistance between the two surfaces. If both surfaces offer high resistance, then it is
known as high viscous and, generally, we call them greasy.
Examples of Fluid Friction

1. To avoid creaking sounds from doors, we lubricate the door hinges, which leads to the smooth
functioning of door hinges.
2. When you drop the ball in a full bucket of water, water splashes out of the bucket, and this is all
because of the buoyancy of fluid.
More Physics Concepts
Basic Laws Of Physics Derivation Of Physics Formulas

More Physics Concepts
SI Units In Physics Differences & Comparisons
Relation Between In Physics Value of Constants
Types and Classification Application And Uses
Problems on Frictional Force

1. A large block of ice is being pulled across a frozen lake. The block of ice has a mass of
300 kg. The coefficient of friction between two ice surfaces is small: μk = 0.05. What is the
force of friction that is acting on the block of ice?
Solution: On a flat surface, the normal force on an object is given by N = mg.

With this, we can find the force of friction as follows:
Ff =μN
Ff =μmg
Substituting the values in the above equation we get,
Ff =0.05 × 300 kg × 9.8 m/s2
= 147 kg-m/s2 or 147 N.
The friction force acting in the opposite direction as the block of ice is pulled across the lake is
147 N.
2. A man has to push his boat on the shore across the mud to get to the water. The
coefficient of friction between the boat and the mud is given by μ = 0.400. If the boat has a
mass of 40 kg, calculate the magnitude of the force of friction acting on the boat.
Solution: On a flat surface, the normal force on an object is N = mg.

Using this, we can calculate the force of friction as follows:
F = μN F = μ mg Substituting the values in the equation, we get F = (0.400)(40.0 kg)(9.80 m/s2)
F = 156.8 N
The frictional force acting on the boat is 156.8 N.

Frictional Force

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What Is Frictional Force?

A few factors affecting the frictional force:

Here is an engaging video explaining frictional force in detail

Calculating the Force of Friction

 Find the Normal Force

 Finding the Right Co-efficient

 Calculating Frictional Force

As discussed, the formula for frictional force is given by F = μN.

Static Friction Kinetic Friction

Rolling Friction Sliding Friction

Watch the video and learn about friction, coefficient of

Examples of Fluid Friction

More Physics Concepts

Basic Laws Of Physics Derivation Of Physics Formulas

SI Units In Physics Differences & Comparisons

Relation Between In Physics Value of Constants

Types and Classification Application And Uses

Problems on Frictional Force

Solution: On a flat surface, the normal force on an object is given by N = mg.

Solution: On a flat surface, the normal force on an object is N = mg.

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