Understanding Friction Force and

Centrifugal Force
Simi Oludare and Phillip Huang
Too little friction is typically undesirable
 Friction and motion
• Friction opposes forward movement
– Static friction needs to be instantly overcome to
move forward
– Kinetic friction needs to be constantly overcome
to move forward
• What will happen if constant force is not being applied?
– Like gravity opposes flight, friction opposes
forward movement
 How do humans overcome friction?

• Nutshell:
– Muscle-tendon units generate force to move skeletal system
– For propulsion during walking, the ankle generates the most force
– Input force is needed every time a limit cycle ends and a new step is needed
 Thought experiment #1
• How will skating (at the same speed as
walking) change the way you generate forces
to move forward?
• Which joint should you use the most?
 Determining friction
• Friction is generated in opposition to motion

𝐹 = 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐹𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 ∗ 𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒

• The amount of friction depends on:

– “Coefficient of friction”
• Smoother objects have lower coefficient of friction
• Rounder objects have lower coefficient of friction
 Activity #1: Design challenge
• A ramp is another way of providing constant
force to a wheel
• Using a ramp, what is the angle needed to
move your can from top to bottom in 5
seconds?
– What about 10 seconds?
– What about 2 seconds?
– What are the upper and lower limits?
 “Centrifugal” Force
• Except around an axis, rotational force cannot
be produced

• So, how is rotational movement generated in

a plane or 3D coordinate system if rotational
force cannot be generated?
 Rotational movement
• In a plane, forces in the two directions have to
be balanced

• Moving in a circle requires constant balancing

of forces in both x and y directions
What does great balance of forces look
like?
 How do humans change the different
components of force?
• Most joints have multiple degrees of freedom
• The magnitude of forces can be changed by
changing the position of the end effector
(arm, legs, etc.)
– For example, externally rotating the feet will
reduce the amount of propulsive force
 Thought experiment #2
• To make a left (or right) turn while skating,
how would you change the direction of your
feet?
– How are these different?