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Force is shown to be very important in Physics, but also around the world in every ones lives. Frictional force is the most well known force, but there is also the normal force of an object. Frictional force is the force being applied to an object and Normal force is basically the "weight" of the object without any applied force. Once noted, friction force is the "force created between two contacting surfaces that tend to rub or slide past each other" (Lamott). Ice is very slippery, especially when it is on the roads. Why do many cities in the world use salt or gravel to melt or add traction for automobiles on the road? Any intelligent person would know why, right? Well, it might be obvious to a certain point. It actually depends on how much gravel and how big each gravel "chunk’ is. It’s the same as sandpaper. A carpenter uses different grits of sandpaper to make a surface smooth or really smooth. What happens if you place a chunk of ice on top of sandpaper? What is the coefficient? The coefficient of friction depends on the texture and hardness of the two surfaces rubbing together. There are actually two different kinds of friction: static and kinetic. In this experiment, the coefficient of static friction will be explored. Lamott believes that the coefficient of static friction is the coefficient of friction for "two surfaces that tend to slide under the influence of some motive force but have not yet begun to move" (Lamott). |