Force and Friction

What is a Force?
When a push or pull is applied to an object it is called force.
A force can change the state of an object from rest to motion
or vice versa.
To let a force come into play, two or more objects must
interact with each other.
Force is vector quantity, It has magnitude and direction.
Do magnets also exert a push or pull?
We know that a magnet can attract a piece of iron. Hence, we can say
that the magnet pulls the iron piece towards itself due to its magnetic
force. Similarly, when opposite poles of a magnet repel each other we
can say that they are pushing each other away.
Characteristics of forces:
When two forces act in the same direction, the net resultant force on an
object is the sum of these two forces.
Resultant Force F= F1+F2
When two forces act in opposite directions the net
resultant force is the difference of these two forces. The
force has a magnitude which describes its strength.
Resultant Force F=F1-F2
•The force always has a direction in which it is applied and a measure of
its strength or magnitude.
•The effects of a force may alter when the direction of the magnitude of
the force is changed.
•The effect of more than one forces being applied on an object is
calculated by evaluating the net force acting on that object.
•If two forces are acting upon each other having equal magnitudes
(strength) and in opposite directions then the net force acting on the
object will be zero.
•Force can bring different effects to an object’s position, size and shape.
•The SI unit of force is Newton (N).
 Force can change the state of motion of an object
The motion of an object
•An object is said to be in motion if it is moving by a certain
speed in a particular direction.
•If the object is at rest, it means that it is not changing its
position with respect to an observing point. Hence it has zero
speed.
•When the object starts moving it means that its position is
being changed with respect to an observation point.
•In order to move an object from one place to another, a force
is required to bring that object in motion.
•Not only this, a force applied on to an object can change its
speed, bring it to rest or even change the direction of its
motion.
•It may bring a combination of these effects as well such as a change in
direction of motion and change in the speed of the motion altogether.
•Hence we can say that force can change the state of motion of an
object.
•Any object cannot move by itself or change its state of motion on its
own without the application of a force.
•However, it is not a case that this change of state of motion will take
place every time with every kind of object. For instance, if a person
tries to push a very heavy object such as a wall, it would not at all.
Force can change the shape of an object
The shape of an object can be altered if some force is applied on to it.
Depending upon the magnitude of the force that is being applied and
the rigidity of the object, the effect on its shape and size can be
observed.
Types of Forces: On the basis of the nature of the interaction between
two or more objects, forces can be classified as:

Contact forces Non-contact forces

Contact Force-These kinds of forces are applied only when two or more
objects come in contact with each other.
Example: Muscular Force, Frictional Force

Non Contact Force

These kinds of forces are applied when the objects do not come in
contact with each other and yet are exerting a force upon each other.
Example: Magnetic Force, Gravitational Force, Electrostatic Force
Contact Forces
1. Muscular Force
The force that comes into play because of the action of muscles is
called muscular force. For example:
Human beings use muscular force in order to walk.
The expansion and contraction of lungs is because of muscular force
Movement of food along the food pipe
Animals can also exit muscular forces; that's why they can move from
one place to another
2. Frictional Force
It is the force that is exerted by the surface over an object whenever the
object moves on the surface.
Force of friction has the following characteristics:
The force of friction always acts in the opposite direction of the motion
of the object.
It leads to generation of heat as two surfaces come in contact with each
other.
For example, when we rub our hands together, heat is produced as a
result of friction between our hands.

Frictional force also leads to wear and tear of the surfaces of objects
that come in contact with each other. For example, sole of shoes often
gets worn-out due to friction force that acts between them and the
ground as we walk.
 Whenever an object moves or flies in the air, it
experiences a force called air resistance.

Figure 9 Air Resistance Experienced by Airplane

Non-Contact Forces
1. Magnetic Force
The force exerted by any magnetic object is called magnetic force.
We know that like magnetic poles always repel each other, that is, they
push each other away.
Also, opposite magnetic poles always attract each other, that is, they pull
each other towards themselves.
2. Electrostatic Force
The force exerted by a charged particle is called
electrostatic force.
We know that like charges always repel or push each
other away.
Similarly, opposite charges always attract or pull each
other towards themselves.
3. Gravitational force
It is an attractive force that is applied by the earth on all the objects.
It is also called the force of gravity or gravity that acts upon all the
objects that are present on or near the Earth's surface.
Gravity is a property exhibited by every object present in the universe
and not only the earth. Hence, all the planets, the moons and even the
sun have a gravitational force of their own.
What is Friction?
Friction is a force that comes into play when two surfaces come in
contact with each other.
The Frictional force or the force of Friction acts in the opposite
direction of the motion of the object.
The force of Friction opposes the relative motion between the surfaces
of two moving objects.
Factors that can affect Friction
The irregularities of a surface: If we move an object with has an
irregular or rough surface on another surface which is also irregular, the
force of Friction will be high in this case and the movement of the object
would be restricted.
The regularity of a surface or its smoothness: If the surfaces of either
the objects or are smooth, the force of Friction would be less and the
object would move easily over the surface. Even smooth surfaces have a
certain irregularity.
If two surfaces are pressed hard: the force of Friction increases
between two surfaces if they are pressed hard and hence the
movement of the object becomes restricted. However, if there is no
pressure the object can easily move.
Types of Friction
Static Friction: The Frictional force that comes into play until an object
starts moving is called static Friction. An object has to overcome the
static Friction force in order to start its movement.

Sliding Friction: Sliding Friction comes into play whenever an object

moves along the surface of another object. Such a movement is called
‘slide’. Hence, sliding Friction is the force that opposes the movement or
slide of an object.

Rolling Friction: When an object is rolling on a surface the force of

Friction which acts upon it is called rolling Friction.

Fluid Friction: When an object moves in a fluid, the fluid exerts a fluid
Friction upon the object. It is also called air Friction (when the medium
of travel is air) and viscous Friction (when the medium of travel is
water).
Rolling Friction < Sliding Friction < Static Friction
 Advantages of Frictional Force
Frictional force is necessary for various purposes in our
daily lives such as:
•It allows us to walk on the earth surface.
•It allows us to write with a pen on a surface or a paper.
•It allows us to fix a nail in the wall.
•A moving object would never be able to come to the state
of rest without the Frictional force.
•It would not be possible to drive any automobiles on the
road without the Friction force.
•It would not be possible to construct any buildings without
the Frictional force.
 Disadvantages of Frictional Force
•Frictional force results in wear and tear of objects such as
the moving parts of a machine, the tyres of a vehicle,
sole of the shoes etc.
•It also results in the production of heat. In the case of
machines, the production of heat leads to wastage of
energy.
•The Frictional force also leads to a decrease in the speed
of a moving object or some time stops it.
•It can lead to noise pollution in certain cases. For
instance, aircrafts produce loud sound due to the
resistance of the air.
How can we reduce or increase Friction?
Increasing Friction:
Sometimes we need to increase Friction so as to avoid
slipping of objects, for example:
•The sole of the shoes is grooved so that the Friction between our
feet and ground increases and we can walk safely
•The tyres are treaded so that they can have a better grip over the
ground and allow the smooth movement of the vehicles.
•Brake pads are used in bikes to stop them suddenly from moving
by increasing the amount of Friction.
•Kabaddi players rub their hands with soil which helps in
increasing the Friction between the hands and allows them to
have an easy grip of the opponent.
•Gymnasts also apply a coarse substance so that they can have a
better grip due to increased Friction in their hands.
 Reducing Friction: Sometimes in order to have a smooth
movement of an object we need to reduce Friction. For
example,
•The powder is sprinkled over the carrom board to decrease
the Friction between the board’s surface and the striker. In
this way, the surface of the carrom board becomes smooth.
•Grease is used in bicycles and other motors or different parts
of a machine to reduce Friction and increase their efficiency.
•Oil is applied on the hinges of the door so that they can
move easily.
Figure 8 Decreasing Friction
Applying substances like oil, grease or powder allows in smooth
movement as they block the irregularities of a surface. The substances
that can reduce the amount of Friction between different objects are
called lubricants. However, we can never reduce Friction to a level of
zero. There are always some irregularities present on the surface.
 How wheels reduce Friction?
We know that when an object rolls over a surface rolling Friction is
produced which resists its motion on the surface. However, its
magnitude is lesser than the static and sliding Friction.
•Wheels are circulating objects that turn around a center point.
•The wheels allow an object to roll over a surface rather than allowing
them to slide over the surface.
•This results in less Friction and hence easy movement of the object.
•Rolling Friction is also used in the parts of machines that are moving
continuously.
•In this way, the sliding Friction is removed with the help of rolling
Friction and therefore the adverse effects of Friction such as the
production of heat or wear and tear of the mechanical parts are also
reduced.
•For instance, ball bearings are being used in fans and bicycles to reduce
Friction.
Air, water and other liquids collectively are called fluids.
They also exert a Frictional force on the object that travels through
them. Such a Friction is called fluid friction or drag.

The amount of Frictional force by a fluid on an object depends upon

the following:
•The speed of the object with respect to the fluid.
•The nature of the fluid, its viscosity or its tendency to resist the flow.
•The shape of the object.

Fluid Friction comprises Internal and External Friction:

Fluids comprise of internal Friction that occurs between the molecules

of a liquid as they are also in motion. The viscosity of a liquid,
therefore, depends upon the internal Friction.

An external Friction in fluids is the force exerted by the fluid on the

object that flows through it.
As an object travels in a fluid it loses its energy in order to overcome
the fluid Friction. Hence, things that can easily flow in fluids have
special shapes.

•For instance, ships and boats have a particular shape that allows them
to resist fluid Friction.

•Birds and aeroplanes have a specific shape that allows them to fly in the
air.

•Fishes also have a specific shape such as a tail and fins that allow them
to swim continuously in water and even prevent the loss of energy due
to fluid Friction.

•Not only this, all the vehicles are designed in a way that they can resist
the fluid Friction because air is present everywhere.
Figure 12 Objects can resist Fluid Friction because of their
special Shape
Pressure
Not only the magnitude of the force but the area upon which it acts
also affects the changes it may bring upon an object.
The force acting upon a unit area is called pressure.
Hence, the pressure exerted by an object depends upon its surface
area.
If the surface is small, the amount of pressure applied is large, and
vice-versa.
The SI unit of Pressure is Pascal (Pa) or N/m2
 Examples of relationship between the area and pressure:

A needle has a pointed end that has a very small surface area. Hence when a large force is
exerted upon the needle with a hammer the pressure on the needle increases and it easily
moves inside the wall.
Shoulder bags always have broad straps rather than thin straps in order to minimize the
pressure that would be exerted on the shoulders of the career due to the gravitational force
acting upon the bag.
Tools that are used for cutting and piercing always have sharp edges because as a person
would apply a force on the tool, its sharp edges would exert more pressure due to less
surface area and the object wood cut down easily.
The two tyres of a tractor are wider because it minimizes the pressure exerted by the
tractor on the ground. As a result, it becomes easier to move the tractor on a muddy field.
Camel can walk easily over the sand because it has wide feet which allow them to walk on
sand easily. Human beings, on the other hand, cannot as walk easily on sand as their feet
have less surface area and therefore our feet sink in the sand.
The pressure exerted by liquids and gases
Liquids exert a pressure on the walls of the container in which they
are put in.
The pressure that a liquid exerts on the bottom of the container is
dependent upon the height of the liquid in the container.
The liquid exerts equal pressure on different points on the walls of
the container having the same depth.
Similarly, gases also exert pressure on the walls of the container.
The molecules of a gas of higher kinetic energy collide with walls
applying large force, and as a result these molecules apply
pressure on the walls of the container.
Figure 16 Pressure exerted by gases on the walls of a container
Atmospheric Pressure
A layer of gases is present around the earth’s surface. The air present in the
atmosphere exerts a pressure on the earth which is called atmospheric
pressure.
The value of atmospheric pressure at the sea level is 101325 Pascal.
The atmospheric pressure keeps on increasing as we move towards the
Earth’s surface.
The amount of atmospheric pressure upon us is quite large due to the large
surface area of the atmosphere around the earth but we do not experience
any of its effects.
This is so because the pressure of the air inside our body is equal to the
atmospheric pressure. There are also fluids present in our body that
exert a pressure inside our body. Hence, our bodies easily obtain a
balance with the atmospheric pressure.
However sometimes at higher altitudes where the atmospheric pressure is
low as compared to that at the Earth’s surface (low altitudes), nose
bleeding occurs.
This is so because at that time the blood pressure in our body becomes
higher than the atmospheric pressure outside us.