FRICTION

 NOTES

Friction opposes the relative motion between two surfaces in contact. It acts on both the surfaces.

Factors Affecting Friction

• Friction depends on the nature of surfaces in contact.
• For a given pair of surfaces, friction depends upon the state of smoothness or roughness of those surfaces. It is less for smooth surfaces.
• Friction is independent of the area of contact.
• Friction depends on how hard the two surfaces pressed together

Friction is a must as well as evil:

• Friction produces heat when we vigorously rub our palms together for a few minutes.
• Friction is responsible for wear and tear of various parts of machines.
• Friction decreases the efficiency of machines as a part of the machine’s energy is lost in extra friction.
• Friction is responsible for writing, walking and transmitting energy.
• Friction is responsible for starting or stopping.
• Friction is used in gripping or holding an object with our hands.
  So, we can say friction is a must as well as evil.

Fluid Friction: Fluid exerts the force of friction on objects in motion through them.It is also called as drag.

nterlocking: Irregularities on two surfaces in contact may clasp with each other, increasing friction.

Lubricants: The substances which reduce friction are called lubricants.

Rolling Friction: When one body rolls over the surface of another body, the resistance to its motion is called the rolling friction.

Sliding Friction: When one surface is sliding over the other surface, sliding friction comes into play.

Static Friction: Static friction comes into play to counterbalance the applied force on the body..

ROLLING FRICTION IS LESS THAN THAT OF SLIDING FRICTION.

QUESTION ANSWERS AND EXCERCISE

Question 1.
Fill in the blanks.
(a) Friction opposes the ______ between the surfaces in contact with each other.
(b) Friction depends on the ______ of surfaces.
(c) Friction produces ______
(d) The sprinkling of powder on the carrom board _______ friction.
(e) Sliding friction is _______ than the static friction.
Solution:
(a) relative motion
(b) smoothness (or irregularities or nature)
(c) heat
(d) reduces
(e) less

Question 2.
Four children were asked to arrange forces due to rolling, static and sliding frictions in decreasing order. Their arrangements are given below. Choose the correct arrangement.
(a) rolling, static, sliding
(b) rolling, sliding, static
(c) static, sliding, rolling
(d) sliding, static, rolling
Solution:
(c) static, sliding, rolling.

Question 3.
Alida runs her toy car on a dry marble floor, wet marble floor, newspaper and towel spread on the floor. The force of friction acting on the car on different surfaces in increasing order will be
(a) wet marble floor, dry marble floor, newspaper and towel.
(b) newspaper, towel, dry marble floor, wet marble floor.
(c) towel, newspaper, dry marble floor, wet marble floor.
(d) wet marble floor, dry marble floor, towel, newspaper.
Answer:
(a) wet marble floor, dry marble floor, newspaper and towel.

QUESTION 4

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.
Answer:
Frictional force will act upward, i.e., the direction opposite to that of sliding book.

Question 5.
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?
Answer:
The layer of soap makes the floor smooth due to which the friction is reduced. This makes the floor slippery and the foot cannot make a proper grip on the floor. Therefore it is difficult to walk on a soapy floor. We may slip on the floor.

QUESTION 6

Explain why sportsmen use shoes with spikes.

Answer:
Sportsmen use shoes with spikes to increase the friction between shoes and the surface. So the shoes with spikes do not slip while the sportsmen run and play.

Question 7.
Iqbal has to push a lighter box and Seema has to push a similar heavier box on the same floor. Who will have to apply a larger force and why?
Answer:
A heavy object produces more friction as it is pressed hard against the opposite surface. So Seema will have to apply a larger force.

QUESTION 8

Explain why sliding friction is less than static friction.
Answer:
The sliding friction is less than static friction because the sliding object get less time to interlock into the contact points on the floor. So it is somewhat easier to move an object already in motion than to get it started.

Question 9.
Give examples to show that friction is both a friend and a foe.
Answer:
Some points are given below which show that friction is both a friend and a foe:

1. Friction as a friend:
   • It allows us to grip and catch any object.
   • It helps us to walk comfortably on the floor.
   • It helps to minimise the speed or to stop any moving object.
   • It helps us to write.
2. Friction as a foe:
   • It causes wear and tears in objects.
   • It causes damage to the parts of machines and tools which further require money to get them repaired.
   • It reduces the speed of moving objects, so more force is required.
   • It produces hurdles in moving any object freely.

Question 10.
Explain why objects moving in fluids must have special shapes.
Answer:
The objects moving in fluids must have a special shape to overcome the fluid friction acting on them. Efforts are therefore made to minimise the friction, so objects are given special shape having pointed fronts with little broader middle portion which gets tapered at the back called streamlined.