BHAVAN’S GANDHI VIDYASHRAM,

KODAIKANAL
PHYSICS: CHAPTER NAME: FRICTION

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Whenever the surfaces in contact tend to move or move with respect to each other, the force
of friction comes into play
(a) only if the objects are solid.
(b) only if one of the two objects is liquid.
(c) only if one of the two objects is gaseous.
(d) irrespective of whether the objects are solid, liquid or gaseous.
Ans:
The answer is (d) irrespective of whether the objects are solid, liquid or gaseous.
Explanation:
Force of friction acts in solids, liquids and gasses and opposes each other’s motion.
2. In Fig.12.1, a boy is shown pushing the box from right to left. The force of friction will act
on the box
(a) from right to left (←)
(b) from left to right (→)
(c) vertically downwards (↓) DON’T DRAW
(d) vertically upwards (↑)
Ans:
The answer is (b) from left to right (→)
Explanation:
Friction always acts in the opposite direction to the motion, hence the force of friction will be from
left to right.
3. To sharpen the blade of a knife by rubbing it against a surface, which of the following will
be most suitable?
(a) stone
(b) plastic block
(c) wooden block
(d) glass block
Ans:
Answer is (a) stone
Explanation:
Stone exerts a greater frictional force which sharpens the blades upon rubbing.
4. A toy car released with the same initial speed will travel farthest on
(a) muddy surface
(b) polished marble surface
(c) cemented surface
(d) brick surface
Ans:
The answer is (b) polished marble surface
Explanation:
Polished marble surface has the least frictional force and least inertia, hence car will travel farther on
a marble floor.
5. If we apply oil on door hinges, the friction will
(a) increases
(b) decreases
(c) disappear altogether
(d) will remain unchanged
Ans:
The answer is (b) decreases
Explanation:
Because oil acts as a lubricant and reduces friction.
6. Which of the following statements is incorrect?
(a) Friction acts on a ball rolling along the ground.
(b) Friction acts on a boat moving on water.
(c) Friction acts on a bicycle moving on a smooth road.
(d) Friction does not act on a ball moving through air.
Ans:
The answer is (d) Friction does not act on a ball moving through air.
Explanation:
Friction acts on a body moving in the air as fluid friction
7. A boy rolls a rubber ball on a wooden surface. The ball travels a short distance before
coming to rest. To make the same ball travel longer distance before coming to rest, he may
(a) spread a carpet on the wooden surface.
(b) cover the ball with a piece of cloth.
(c) sprinkle talcum powder on the wooden surface.
(d) sprinkle sand on the wooden surface
Ans:
Answer is (c) sprinkle talcum powder on the wooden surface.
Explanation:
Applying talcum powder will reduce the frictional force, which will make the ball to travel a longer
distance.
8. In a large commercial complex, there are four ways to reach the main road. One of the
paths has loose soil, the second is laid with polished marble, the third is laid with bricks and
the fourth has a gravel surface. It is raining heavily and X wishes to reach the main road. The
path on which she is least likely to slip is
(a) loose soil.
(b) polished marble.
(c) bricks.
(d) gravel.
Ans:
The answer is (d) gravel.
Explanation:
The only path will have sufficient frictional force to walk easily, hence the answer is (d) gravel.
Very Short Answer Questions
1. Two blocks of iron of different masses are kept on a cemented floor as shown in Fig.12.2.
Which one of them would require a larger force to move it from the rest position?

Ans:
The larger force will be required to move the heavier block.
2. Two boys are riding their bicycles on the same concrete road. One has new tyres on his
bicycle while the other has tyres that are old and used. Which of them is more likely to skid
while moving through a patch of the road which has lubricating oil spilt over it?
Ans: The bicycle with worn-out tyres is more likely to skid.
3. Fig.12.3 shows two boys applying force on a box. If the magnitude of the force applied by
each is equal, will the box experience any force of friction?

DON’T DRAW
Ans:
Force of friction will be zero as the net force on the box is zero.
4. Imagine that an object is falling through a long straight glass tube held vertical; the air has
been removed completely from the tube. The object does not touch the walls of the tube. Will
the object experience any force of friction?
Ans:
No, the object will not experience any force of friction.
5. Will force of friction come into play when a raindrop rolls down a glass window pane?
Ans:
Yes, force of friction comes into play when a raindrop rolls down a glass window pane.

Short Answer Questions

1. You might have noticed that when used for a long time, slippers with rubber soles become
slippery. Explain the reason.
Ans:
After using slippers for a long time, soles become smooth. This decreases the friction between the
sole and floor. Therefore, slippers become slippery.
2. Is there a force of friction between the wheels of a moving train and iron rails? If yes, name
the type of friction. If an air cushion can be introduced between the wheel and the rail, what
effect will it have on the friction?
Ans:
Yes, there exists a rolling force between the wheels of a moving train and iron rails. If an air cushion
is introduced between the wheel and the rails, the friction will decrease.
3. Cartilage is present in the joints of our body, which helps in their smooth movement. With
advancing age, this cartilage wears off. How would this affect the movement of joints?
Ans:
With advancing age, this cartilage wears off. This increases the friction, which will lead to difficulty
in movement and will cause joint pain.
4. While playing tug of war (Fig.12.4), X felt that the rope was slipping through her hands.
Suggest a way out for her to prevent this.

DON’T DRAW
Ans:
She may rub soil to increase friction between the rope and her hand.
5. The handle of a cricket bat or a badminton racquet is usually rough. Explain the reason.
Ans:
To have a better grip on the bat it should be rough because rough surface decreases the friction and
allow to have a firm grip on the bat.
6. A marble is allowed to roll down an inclined plane from a fixed height. At the foot of the
inclined plane, it moves on a horizontal surface (a) covered with silk cloth (b) covered with a
layer of sand and (c) covered with a glass sheet. On which surface will the marble move the
shortest distance. Give the reason for your answer.
Ans:
A marble moves to the shortest distance on the floor covered with sand as it offers maximum
friction against its motion.
7. A father and son pushed their car to bring it to the side of the road as it had stalled in the
middle of the road. They experienced that although they had to push with all their might
initially to move the car, the push required to keep the car rolling was smaller, once the car
started rolling. Explain.
Ans:
Because initially they had to apply force to set the card in motion but once the car started rolling,
they had to apply force only to balance rolling friction of the car, the value of which is very less.
8. When the cutting edge of a knife is put against a fast rotating stone to sharpen it, sparks are
seen to fly. Explain the reason.
Ans:
Heat is produced as a result of friction between a knife and the rotating stone. As the speed of
rotation increases the amount of heat generated also increases which result in the sparks.
9. We have two identical metal sheets. One of them is rubbed with sandpaper and the other
with ordinary paper. The one rubbed with sandpaper shines more than the other. Give reason.
Ans:
Friction between plane paper and the metal sheet is less compared to the friction between sandpaper
and metal. This friction acts on the top layer of metal sheet which will remove the top layer to make
the metal shine.
10. While travelling on a rickshaw, you might have experienced that if the seat cover is very
smooth, you tend to slip when brakes are applied suddenly. Explain.
Ans:
If the seat cover is very smooth then the friction between the seat and our body is very less. Because
of this, we tend to slip when brakes are applied in a rickshaw.
Long answer questions
1.(A). Suppose your writing desk is tilted a little. A book kept on it starts sliding down. Show
the direction of frictional force acting on it.
Ans: When a book slides down a table, frictional force always acts always opposite to the direction
of motion and along the incline.
Force of friction will always be parallel to the surfaces in contact.
(B). You spill a bucket of soapy water on a marble floor accidentally. Would it make it easier
or more difficult for you to walk on the floor? Why?
Ans: It would be difficult to walk on the floor when soapy water falls on the floor then the friction
reduces therefore the chances to slip increases, as a result it becomes difficult to walk.
When there is no soapy water then there will be interlocking between the foot and the ground.
When soap water spills the interlocking gets spoilt as a result friction reduces.
2.(A). Explain why sportsmen use shoes with spikes.
Ans: Spikes present on the shoes make the surface of the shoes rough. This increases the friction.
As friction increases, the grip on the ground increases. This makes it easier for them to walk or run.
(B). X has to push a lighter box and Y has to push a similar heavier box on the same floor.
Who will have to apply a larger force and why?
Ans:
 Friction is directly proportional to mass. Heavier an object more force to be applied to move
it.
 Heavier box will press the floor surface harder as compared to the lighter box.
 The two surfaces are pressed harder against each other, so the force required to overcome the
interlocking is more in case of the heavier box.
 So Y has to apply more force as compared to X.
3. (A). Explain why sliding friction is less than static friction.
Ans: During sliding, contact points do not get enough time to get interlocked properly. Friction
forces come into play when irregularities present in the surface of the two objects in contact get
interlocked with each other. When an object is in motion, the sliding friction is smaller than the
static friction as the interlocking during motion is very small. Thus, sliding friction is less than static
friction.
(B).Give examples to show that friction is both a friend and a foe.
Ans:
Friction is a friend in the below ways:
 It helps us to walk.
 It helps us to hold things.
 It helps in grinding.
 It helps in construction purposes.
 It makes matchstick ignition possible.
Friction as a foe in the below ways:
 It opposes motion.
 It produces a lot of heat which results in wastage of energy.
 It brings about wear and tear of machinery parts.
 It leads to the application of more power in machines.
 It produces noise in the machines.

4. Explain why objects moving in fluids must have special shapes.

Ans: Special shapes experience less fluid friction therefore can move easily through fluids. When an
object moves in fluid, fluid friction opposes the motion. So, to reduce the friction between object
and fluids, the object is given a special shape known as streamlined shape.
An aeroplane is a good example for this. The air exerts some friction when the aeroplane moves
through the air. This will be opposed by the motion of the aeroplane. In order to overcome this
friction, the aeroplane has to apply a lot of force. This force is in turn a waste of energy. So, it is
necessary to design the shape of the aeroplane in such a way that it experiences less fluid friction.