Experiment 4

Friction
The Concepts of Force and Mass
A force is a push or a pull.
Contact forces arise from physical
contact .
Action-at-a-distance forces do not
require contact and include gravity
and electrical forces.
Newtons First Law of Motion
Newtons First Law

= 0 F

Inertia is the natural tendency of an

object to remain at rest in motion at
a constant speed along a straight line.

The mass of an object is a quantitative
measure of inertia.

SI Unit of Mass: kilogram (kg)
Newtons First Law of Motion
Newtons Second Law of Motion
Newtons Second Law
m

=
F
a

= a F

m
SI Unit for Force
( )
2 2
s
m kg
s
m
kg

=
|
.
|

\
|
This combination of units is called a newton (N).
Newtons Second Law of Motion
Newtons Third Law of Motion
Newtons Third Law of Motion
A on B B on A
F F =
Newtons Third Law of Motion
A on B B on A
F F =
Suppose that the magnitude of the force is 36 N. If the mass
of the spacecraft is 11,000 kg and the mass of the astronaut
is 92 kg, what are the accelerations?
Newtons Third Law of Motion
. astronaut On the
. spacecraft On the
P F
P F


=
=

2
s m 0033 . 0 + =
s
a

2
s m 39 . 0 =
A
a

Newtons Third Law of Motion

Definition of Weight

The weight of an object on or above the earth is the
gravitational force that the earth exerts on the object.
The weight always acts downwards, toward the center
of the earth.

On or above another astronomical body, the weight is the
gravitational force exerted on the object by that body.


SI Unit of Weight: newton (N)
The Gravitational Force
Relation Between Mass and Weight
mg W =
The Gravitational Force
2
s m 80 . 9 = g
On the earths surface:
Relation Between Mass and Weight
The Gravitational Force
The Normal Force
Definition of the Normal Force
The normal force is one component of the force that a surface
exerts on an object with which it is in contact namely, the
component that is perpendicular
to the surface.
N 26 =
N
F
N 4 =
N
F
The Normal Force
Static and Kinetic Frictional Forces
When an object is in contact with a surface there is a force
acting on that object. The component of this force that is
parallel to the surface is called the
frictional force.
When the two surfaces are
not sliding across one another
the friction is called
static friction.
Static and Kinetic Frictional Forces
The magnitude of the static frictional force can have any value
from zero up to a maximum value.
MAX
s s
f f s
N s
MAX
s
F f =
1 0 < <
s

is called the coefficient of static friction.

Static and Kinetic Frictional Forces
Note that the magnitude of the frictional force does
not depend on the contact area of the surfaces.
Static and Kinetic Frictional Forces
Static friction opposes the impending relative motion between
two objects.

Kinetic friction opposes the relative sliding motion motions that
actually does occur.
N k k
F f =
1 0 < <
s

is called the coefficient of kinetic friction.

Static and Kinetic Frictional Forces
Static and Kinetic Frictional Forces
The sled comes to a halt because the kinetic frictional force
opposes its motion and causes the sled to slow down.
Static and Kinetic Frictional Forces
Friction
Activity 1: Friction and Area of Contact
Area fsmax fk
1
2
3
Normal Force
fsmax fk
s

k
Friction
Activity 2: Friction and Normal Force
Weight of block = _________ N.
Wooden block
Pull
Mass


D
u
a
l
-
R
a
n
g
e
F
o
r
c
e

S
e
n
s
o
r
Friction
Activity 3: Friction and nature of Surfaces in Contact
Surfaces in Contact fsmax fk
Activity 4: Effect of lubricant
Friction
Activity 5: Air Resistance (Physics with Computers)
Number of Filters Terminal Velocity (Terminal Velocity)
2
Motion
Detector
Interface