The resistance a surface or object encounters when moving over another.

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Friction on a conveyor belt

I was surfing through an Olympiad paper and I was caught with this question. A block of mass 1 kg is stationary with respect to a conveyor belt that is accelerating with $1\, \tfrac{m}{s^2}$ ...
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46 views

Coefficients of friction for steel, aluminum & polymers

I am trying to analyse the problem of sticking an aluminum piece to a stainless steel piece only with pressure. The holding capacity of the system is determined by the static friction between the two ...
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newton's laws - involving block and conveyor belt [closed]

i was surfing through a physics book when i encountered this problem- A block of mass 1 kg is stationary with respect to a conveyor belt that is accelerating with 1 m/s^2 upwards at an angle of ...
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48 views

Comparing Static Frictions

In this figure, which of the static frictional forces will be more? My aim isn't to solve this particular problem but to learn how is static friction distributed . Since each of the rough-surfaces ...
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1answer
55 views

Work done by Static friction

Here $v1$ is relative to the block on which sphere is pure rolling but static friction isn't $0$ as of now . In the following diagram, is work done by static friction $0$ ?, since the point of ...
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49 views

Work And Energy Question [closed]

$H = 3\text{ m}$,$m=2\text{ kg}$ The right side is rough. I want to figure: what is the coefficient of friction $\mu$? How high and exceed the maximum return on the plane right body? I know ...
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1answer
112 views

Angular momentum conservation while internal frictional torque is present

So this appears in a problem which looks simple enough in its context; It's something like this: Two discs, A and B, are mounted coaxially on a vertical axle. The discs have moments of inertia $I$ ...
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75 views

Angular momentum after elastic collision

If two balls collide (elastically) and there is no friction between them, will their angular momentum change after the collision?
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53 views

Are there real life applications for Hausdorff dimensions, specifically crack formations?

I was curios about Hausdorff dimensions. They seem to neatly describe rough surfaces. So I was wondering if there are common applications of Hausdorff dimensions in things like complicated friction ...
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What determines the angle of the cushion on a pool table?

If you look at the cushions (bumpers) on a pool table, you'll see that they're not vertical. They're tilted inwards. About 10 years ago, I came across a physics exam in which one of the problems ...
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1answer
34 views

What is $\gamma$ in the damping equation?

$x''+\gamma x'+w_0^2x=0$ That is the general equation for damped harmonic motion. What is the term or name that describes $\gamma$? Is it called the damping constant? I know its the ration between ...
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34 views

Does friction depend on the area between bodies thats in contact? [duplicate]

Does friction depend on the area between bodies thats in contact? If yes why we make threads on vehicles tires and below shoes? Does it not cause reduce in friction?
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2answers
84 views

Why is the damping force on a spring oscillator linearly dependent on velocity?

If you consider the damping force is friction like in: then the force should be $$F=\mu N$$ where $\mu$ is the coefficient of kinetic friction. Why then is the damping force assumed to be linearly ...
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3answers
73 views

Smallest force to move a brick

Having a brick lying on a table, I can exert horizontal force equal to $\mu m g$ to a middle of it's side, and it will start moving (assume $\mu$ is the friction coefficient). However, can I make the ...
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65 views

Man ,Pulley, block system? [closed]

In the figure $m_{A}=m_{B}=m_{C}=60 kg$. The coefficient of friction between $C$ and ground is $0.5$, $B$ and ground is $0.3$, $A$ and $B$ is $0.4$. $C$ is pulling the string with the maximum possible ...
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1answer
115 views

Two masses attached to a spring

I'm trying to understand the solution of the following problem. Two masses $m_{1}$ and $m_{2}$ slide freely in a horizontal frictionless track and are connected by a spring whose force constant is ...
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2answers
85 views

Orbit in the vacuum

As the space is a vacuum and there is no friction in space, Can we assume that, if we place an object in gravity in exactly the right distance from a planet with gravity and in the right acceleration, ...
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63 views

Friction on roads

I have a question with which I am having trouble. A 71m radius curve is banked for a design speed of 91km/h. Given a coefficient of static friction of 0.32, what is the range of speeds in which a car ...
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92 views

Why did increasing the Ackermann geometry in my race car make it faster in corners?

Ackermann geometry is used to account for the different radius arcs that the front tires follow when the steering wheel is turned from center. It's often expressed as a percentage: e.g. 25% Ackermann, ...
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1answer
55 views

How to find work done due to friction [closed]

The force F=40N is applied on a 10kg block at an angle of 36 with the horizontal. The block moves a distance of 15m. If the surface is frictionless. If the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.25, ...
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1answer
75 views

calculating work done by friction

I want to calculate the work done by friction if the length $L$ of uniform rope on the table slides off. There is friction between the cord and the table with coefficient of kinetic friction $\mu_k$. ...
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1answer
48 views

Hyperbolic, parabolic, elliptical PDE related to under-, critical- and overdamped in harmonic osciallation

A damped harmonic oscillator has three cases for the damping: underdamped, critically damped and overdamped. With partial differential equations, I know the hyperbolic wave equation, the parabolic ...
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1answer
87 views

Calculating the path of a ball with spin moving across a table

A ping pong ball is rolling over a smooth (but not frictionless) table. During its travel, a clockwise spin is placed on the ball. The ball's path is changed to move to the right (in perspective from ...
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1answer
107 views

Work done by friction

Suppose we have a block of mass $M$ and we are moving it up a curve, very slowly ($a=0$). The surface is not smooth, and coefficient of friction is $\mu=\mu_s=\mu_k$. To move the block we apply a ...
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148 views

Projectile Motion with Drag

The overall goal is to write a Mathematica program that will compute the launch angle that will yield the greatest range with using [RandomInt] function, but I was having trouble with the physics. In ...
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1answer
114 views

A very elementary question regarding force of friction

When I first studied friction I faced f = $\mu$ N where f is force of friction, $\mu$ is coefficient of friction for the surface considered and N is the normal force for the body on surface. Now f is ...
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129 views

Why is simple harmonic motion called so?

Is the motion of a simple pendulum, a simple harmonic motion? It stops vibrating after sometime.
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52 views

Work done by friction (homework) [closed]

A 40 kg case is pushed across a floor at a steady speed of 1.5 m/s. When the pushing stops, the case slides a further distance of 1.2m before coming to rest. Calculate the frictional force acting on ...
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1answer
379 views

Finding the force of friction of a moving object and its change when it accelerates to a constant speed

I have been searching for a straight forward answer to this question for ages now and it is driving me crazy. Here is what I know: If an object is moving at a constant speed the force of friction ...
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1answer
112 views

Skiing downhill

The other day on skiing holiday we've been arguing about whether an adult has weight advantage over a child when skiing downhill. I was claiming that gravity is a constant regardless of object's ...
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1answer
36 views

friction on atomic scale

I am getting into friction on an atomic scale. For instance, take two rigid layers of atoms of the kind A that are placed on top of each other, just like putting two boards of wood on top of each ...
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43 views

Work, energy and friction [closed]

A car loaded with bricks has a total mass of 18kg and is pulled at a constant speed by a rope. the rope is inclined 30 degrees with above the horizontal, and the cart moves 20.0 m on a horizontal ...
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2answers
116 views

If you had two “perfectly” flat surfaces of the same material?

Let's say you had 2 nano-engineered surfaces of diamond which were as 'flat' as possible (of course considering the radii of each carbon atom in the lattice)... would there be any friction between ...
2
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1answer
274 views

Static Friction in Free Body Diagram (FBD) of Car parked on Incline

I'm working on a sample problem and it asks on how steep of an incline can a car park? From what I learned the friction is in the opposite direction if there was motion in said friction-less ...
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254 views

The direction of friction for a car wheel

In this particular example shown the image below (from engineering dynamics - Meriam), I do not figure out why the direction of friction is in direction of the translation of the car? Or I just ...
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2answers
130 views

How can a train locomotive generate enough traction to pull all the coaches?

Sorry for posting what may be an obvious question but we just learning about friction at school and my teacher couldn't explain well enough to me and I would appreciate your inputs. Consider the ...
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1answer
62 views

Car tires wearing in dependence on breaking system

Lets say I have two cars. They are identical in every way, except that Car A has a normal breaking system, where most of the breaking power is inflicted on the front wheels, and some on the back, and ...
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1answer
102 views

Determining the frequency of a ruler laying on two spinning cylinders [closed]

I am stuck on this homework problem. Any help would be appreciated, even if it's a push in the right direction. A ruler of mass m = 75g and L = 3.0 meters is placed so that it is exactly balanced ...
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1answer
81 views

Which theory predicts that dubbed tires have more friction?

The physical reasoning I suppose could be that more contact areas mean more and higher friction. But is there an actual formula or a more mathematical explanation? Application for bicycling was my ...
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186 views

What is a natural movement of a ball on a upward curve (the two arrow lines pointing upward) given no external force?

If you drop a ball down a upward curving parabolic ramp, what is the expected movement of the ball? Assume the ball is set into motion with no external force. Would it go all the way from point A to ...
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2answers
171 views

Preventing a block from sliding on a plane (with friction)

Assume a small square block $m$ is sitting on a larger wedge-shaped block of mass $M$ at an upper angle $\theta$ such that the little block will slide on the big block if both are started from rest ...
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1answer
146 views

How would you use the Euler-Lagrange equation to predict the motion of projectiles with linear (Stokes) drag (but no wind)?

My first instinct would be to use the force $$\vec{F} =- \alpha \vec{v}$$ and therefore $$V(\vec{r}) = \alpha \int_C \vec{v}\cdot d\vec{s} = \alpha \int_C \vec{v}\cdot \vec{v} dt = \alpha \int_C ...
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3answers
173 views

How can a vertical force cause motion at an angle?

I just started learning physics 3 days ago and am having trouble understanding what I am doing wrong. Can someone please explain my error(s)? Thanks! We have a 1kg object on a plane at a 30 degree ...
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3answers
779 views

Block on a block problem, with friction

Consider two blocks, one on top of the other on a frictionless table, with masses $m_1$ and $m_2$ respectively. There is appreciable friction between the blocks, with coefficients $\mu_s$ and $\mu_k$ ...
2
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1answer
82 views

Approximating Rolling/Sliding in 2D Shape

I'm trying to find more information on how a 2D shape (could be defined by a function, such as ellipse, or by a polygon) will roll across a surface. The shape could be nearly circular or quite ...
2
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1answer
76 views

How do I account for the direction of friction acting on a spring?

I would like to set up the equations of motion for a simple spring oscillator. Let's have a spring lying horizontally; we attach a small mass $m$ to the (massless) spring. The force of the spring ...
2
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2answers
347 views

Does kinetic friction increase as speed increases? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Does the force of kinetic friction increase with the relative speed of the objects involved? If not, why not? Layman alert...I last did physics in high school, and am ...
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232 views

Will two trains running along the equator in opposite direction experience same wear out?

Two identical trains, at the equator start travelling round the world in opposite directions. They start together, run at the same speed and are on different tracks. Which train will wear out its ...
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Rolling (without slipping) ball on a moving surface 2 [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Rolling (without slipping) ball on a moving surface Apparently I didn't log in properly when I asked a question this morning: Rolling (without slipping) ball on a moving ...
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1answer
293 views

Rolling (without slipping) ball on a moving surface

I've been looking at examples of a ball rolling without slipping down an inclined surface. What happens if the incline angle changes as the ball is rolling? More precisely I've been trying to find ...

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