What is Kinetic friction: Definition and 509 Discussions

Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:

Dry friction is a force that opposes the relative lateral motion of two solid surfaces in contact. Dry friction is subdivided into static friction ("stiction") between non-moving surfaces, and kinetic friction between moving surfaces. With the exception of atomic or molecular friction, dry friction generally arises from the interaction of surface features, known as asperities (see Figure 1).
Fluid friction describes the friction between layers of a viscous fluid that are moving relative to each other.Lubricated friction is a case of fluid friction where a lubricant fluid separates two solid surfaces.Skin friction is a component of drag, the force resisting the motion of a fluid across the surface of a body.
Internal friction is the force resisting motion between the elements making up a solid material while it undergoes deformation.When surfaces in contact move relative to each other, the friction between the two surfaces converts kinetic energy into thermal energy (that is, it converts work to heat). This property can have dramatic consequences, as illustrated by the use of friction created by rubbing pieces of wood together to start a fire. Kinetic energy is converted to thermal energy whenever motion with friction occurs, for example when a viscous fluid is stirred. Another important consequence of many types of friction can be wear, which may lead to performance degradation or damage to components. Friction is a component of the science of tribology.
Friction is desirable and important in supplying traction to facilitate motion on land. Most land vehicles rely on friction for acceleration, deceleration and changing direction. Sudden reductions in traction can cause loss of control and accidents.
Friction is not itself a fundamental force. Dry friction arises from a combination of inter-surface adhesion, surface roughness, surface deformation, and surface contamination. The complexity of these interactions makes the calculation of friction from first principles impractical and necessitates the use of empirical methods for analysis and the development of theory.
Friction is a non-conservative force – work done against friction is path dependent. In the presence of friction, some kinetic energy is always transformed to thermal energy, so mechanical energy is not conserved.

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  1. J

    Find coefficient of kinetic friction between a bullet and a pendulum

    Homework Statement A bullet collides and embeds itself into a block hanging from a rope. The block and embedded bullet swing out to an angle of 10 degrees. If the bullet plows 2 cm into the block before stopping, what is the coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the bullet...
  2. J

    Static and Kinetic Friction problem

    1. Homework Statement [/b] A box weighing 100N is at rest on a horizontal surface. The coefficient of static friction between the box and the surface is 0.5, and the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.25. If the crate is pushed with a force of 20N parallel to the floor, which of the following...
  3. W

    Determining the coefficient of kinetic friction of a sled with a mass added.

    Homework Statement A sled is pulled with a horizontal force of 15 N along a level trail, and the acceleration is found to be 0.38 m/s2. An extra mass m = 4.2 kg is placed on the sled. If the same force is just barely able to keep the sled moving, what is the coefficient of kinetic friction...
  4. J

    Is it possible to solve for kinetic friction without given theta?

    Homework Statement A block of mass " lying on a ramp tilted at an angle  with the horizontal is connected to another block of mass # by a light string passing over a frictionless pulley as shown. If the block slides up the ramp with a constant velocity ), what is the...
  5. N

    Basic kinetic friction and mass quesion?

    An object of mass M is pulled along a rough floor for some time. An additional mass m is then placed on M and is pulled along the same floor as shown. (The picture is just a square with mass M and a small square right on top of it with mass m) What effect does the addition of mass m have...
  6. S

    Finding coefficien of kinetic friction

    A slide loving pig slides down a 35 degree slide in twice the time it would taken to slide down a frictionless 35 degree slide. What is the coefficient of kinetic friction between the pig and slide? So with the frictionless slide I found ax=8.03m/s^2 but without velocity or the length of...
  7. B

    Calculating the coefficient of kinetic friction

    Homework Statement This was a lab. We attached a weight to a pulley and connected it to a wooden block. the wooden block was placed on a wooden board on a table. we dropped the weight and calculated the time it to the block to travel a certain distance.We have the variables T=1.28 s Mass of...
  8. R

    Finding the coefficient of kinetic friction

    A 3.40 kg block is pushed along the ceiling with a constant applied force of 85.0 N that acts at an angle of 55.0° with the horizontal, as in the figure below. The block accelerates to the right at 6.00 m/s2. Determine the coefficient of kinetic friction between block and ceiling...
  9. R

    How do I determine the wretched coefficient of kinetic friction? It's impossible

    A 3.40 kg block is pushed along the ceiling with a constant applied force of 85.0 N that acts at an angle of 55.0° with the horizontal, as in the figure below. The block accelerates to the right at 6.00 m/s2. Determine the coefficient of kinetic friction between block and ceiling...
  10. R

    Determining coefficient of kinetic friction help

    A 3.40 kg block is pushed along the ceiling with a constant applied force of 85.0 N that acts at an angle of 55.0° with the horizontal, as in the figure below. The block accelerates to the right at 6.00 m/s2. Determine the coefficient of kinetic friction between block and ceiling. Ugghhh so...
  11. M

    Coefficient of Kinetic Friction

    Heres the problem, A 1,440-N crate is being pushed across a level floor at a constant speed by a force of 270 N at an angle of 20.0° below the horizontal (a) What is the coefficient of kinetic friction between the crate and the floor? I know how to do this. The answer is .165 Heres...
  12. D

    How Do You Calculate the Coefficient of Kinetic Friction on an Inclined Slide?

    Homework Statement A child goes down a playground slide with an acceleration of 1.26 m/s^2. Find the coefficient of the kinetic friction between the child and the slide if the slide is inclined at an angle of 33 degrees below horizontal. Homework Equations F=MA Kinetic Friction =...
  13. F

    Static and Kinetic friction question

    Homework Statement A crate is being pushed up a hill with friction. Given: m1 = 131 kg, θ = 23°, \mus = 0.15, and \muk = 0.08. If the crate isn't being pushed anymore, what will be the magnitude of the acceleration of the crate sliding downhill? What force must be exerted to move the crate...
  14. S

    Find coefficient of kinetic friction on an inclined plane.

    Homework Statement (there's a diagram that shows a crate on a plane inclined 19.29° above the horizontal) Find the coefficient of kinetic friction. θ = 19.29° mcrate = .205 kg Homework Equations Ff = FN*μk Fg = mg FN = cosθ*mg The Attempt at a Solution I drew out a free-body diagram for...
  15. K

    Coefficient of Kinetic friction as a function of speed

    I'm modeling a moving cart, and I'm trying to determine if the coefficient of kinetic friction changes as a function of speed. Does anyone know of any literature where this is discussed, or if this happens? I would've thought friction solely depends on the types of materials used.
  16. T

    Chain Problem involving Kinetic Friction

    Homework Statement A heavy chain with a mass per unit length ρ is pulled by the constant force F along a horizontal surface consisting of a smooth section and a rough section.The chain is initially at rest on the rough surface with x=0 .If the coefficient of kinetic friction between the...
  17. H

    Find force to push block up incline with static and kinetic friction in certain time

    pHomework Statement A 5.03 box sits at rest at the bottom of a ramp that is 8.76 long and that is inclined at 30.0 above the horizontal. The coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.40, and the coefficient of static friction is 0.50. What constant force , applied parallel to the surface of the...
  18. D

    Kinetic Friction Problem Needs Help

    Kinetic Friction Problem Needs Help! Homework Statement A truck is traveling at constant acceleration. A box of mass 80kg rests in the bed of the truck. The Kinetic Friction between the bed and the box is 0.5. After traveling for 3 seconds the box falls off the back of the truck, what is...
  19. M

    Distance traveled by train using forces and kinetic friction

    Homework Statement A train has a mass of 5 million kilograms and is traveling south at 22 m/s. If the train driver has to initiate a panic stop, how far will the train go before it comes to a halt. Use 0.08 as the coefficient of kinetic friction. m=5*106 kg v=-22 m/s μ-kinetic...
  20. Y

    Find the coefficient of kinetic friction

    Homework Statement A skier weighing 90kg starts from rest down a hill inclined at 17 degree. He skis down the hill and then coast for 70 m along level snow until he stops. Find the coefficient of kinetic friction between the skis and the snow. What velocity does the skier have at the bottom...
  21. 5

    Kinetic Friction Homework: F, Tension Force

    Homework Statement An object of mass m1=50kg, connected to another object of mass m2=20kg by a cable,is driven up an inclineof 30° by a force F , acting on m1 and parallel to the incline. Assuming a coefficient of kinetic of 0.4 between the two objects and the icline: 1-what should be the...
  22. Y

    Coefficient of kinetic friction on 2 different parts

    Homework Statement When the mass M is at the position shown, it has a speed v0 = 2.17 m/s and is sliding down the inclined part of a slide. The mass reaches the bottom of the incline and then travels a distance S2 = 2.45 m along the horizontal part of the slide before stopping. The distance S1...
  23. M

    Finding Spring with kinetic friction involved

    Hello everyone, i have the following two part prompt and I am having a difficult time with the second part. Here is first part of the prompt, A block of mass 0.528 kg slides with uniform velocity of 4.15 m/s on a horizontal frictionless surface. At some point, it strikes a horizontal spring...
  24. A

    No idea how to find applied forced based on kinetic friction and acceleration.

    Homework Statement A 10.0kg box is accelerated from rest to 4.00 m/s in 1.00s. The force of kinetic friction on the box is 5.00N. A) What is the size of the applied force? B)What is the coefficient of sliding friction? Homework Equations The five kinematic equations? μ = Ff/Fn Fn=...
  25. M

    Static Friction, Kinetic Friction and Rolling Resistance query.

    Hypothetically, if I had a sphere and a block (of the same mass and material (hence the same coefficients of static friction for both interfaces) both stationary on a surface, they would require the same force to initiate motion? Once moving, a coefficient of sliding friction is employed in...
  26. K

    Work Energy Theorem with Kinetic Friction and External Work

    Homework Statement A crate of mass 10.0 kg is pulled up a rough incline with an initial speed of 1.5 m/s. The pulling force is 100 N parallel to the incline which makes an angle of 20.0° with the horizontal. The coefficient of kinetic friction is .4 and the cart is pulled 5.00 m. e) What is...
  27. S

    Static friction vs kinetic friction (Very simple question)

    This isn't part of a homework question or anything, i was just curious If an object is at rest, static friction is at work, so for an object to move, on a flat surface, force applied must be greater than the static friction force yes? But this is not true for kinetic friction, where an...
  28. A

    Potters wheel coefficient of kinetic friction

    Homework Statement A potter's wheel having a radius 0.49 m and a moment of inertia of 10.6 kg · m2 is rotating freely at 52 rev/min. The potter can stop the wheel in 5.5 s by pressing a wet rag against the rim and exerting a radially inward force of 68 N. Find the effective coefficient of...
  29. S

    Kinetic friction, mass on track when will it stop.

    Homework Statement A block of mass m is initially held in place on the left side of a track at a distance h above the bottom of the track. The track is completely frictionless, with the exception of a rough horizontal section of track of length h which has a coefficient of kinetic friction μ...
  30. A

    Calculating Acceleration in a Kinetic Friction System

    Homework Statement A system comprised blocks, a light frictionless pulley, and connecting ropes is shown in the figure. The 9.0-kg block is on a perfectly smooth horizontal table. The surfaces of the 12-kg block are rough, with muk (kinetic frict constant) = 0.30 between the block and the...
  31. V

    Relationship Between Kinetic Friction and Mechanical Energy

    Homework Statement Which of the following statements about friction is correct? I. Kinetic friction always decreases the mechanical energy of a system. II. The static friction force cannot change the mechanical energy of a system. III. The force of friction always points in the direction...
  32. A

    Kinetic friction on an incline.

    Homework Statement A box is sliding down an incline tilted at a 13.0° angle above horizontal. The box is initially sliding down the incline at a speed of 1.40 m/s. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the box and the incline is 0.370. How far does the box slide down the incline...
  33. S

    Finding the Kinetic Friction Force using Mass and Acceleration

    Homework Statement While sliding, the only force acting on the block in the horizontal direction is that of friction. From the mass of the block and its acceleration, you can find the frictional force and finally, the coefficient of kinetic friction. Okay, so we are sliding a steel block with...
  34. I

    Kinetic friction and inclined planes

    Homework Statement A block of ice of mass m slides down an incline that makes an angle θ = 40.7° with the horizontal. In trial 1 there is no friction; the block starts at rest and takes time t to reach the bottom of the incline. In trial 2 there is friction, and the the block slides down the...
  35. F

    Coefficient of Kinetic Friction from M, Angle, Accel.

    Homework Statement m = 52kg theta = 10.3deg t = 5.8s d = 3.63 m Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Ok so here are my attempts. If they are way off, take it easy on me :). I am not very good at this. Am I missing negatives or am I way off on this? Are my trigs...
  36. G

    Work of kinetic friction on block in vertical circle

    Homework Statement 1. Homework Statement A block of mass 0.015kg enters the bottom of a circular, vertical track with a radius R = 0.3m at an initial velocity of 4/ms. If the block loses contact with the track at an angle of 130 degrees, what is Wk, the work done by kinetic friction...
  37. B

    Determining Coefficient of Kinetic Friction (mew)

    Homework Statement A box slides down a 31 degree ramp with an acceleration of 1.42 m/s squared. determine the coefficient of kinetic friction (mew) between the box and the ramp. Homework Equations F=ma Fnet=ma Fn(µ)=Ff The Attempt at a Solution Many attempts on paper but unable...
  38. S

    Finding the coefficient of kinetic friction of bricks

    Homework Statement A construction worker passes a brick to another worker by pushing it across a wooded floor. the brick has a mas of 2.7kg. The force required making the brick move with acceleration of 0.42m/s2 is 28 N. What is the co-efficient of kinetic friction acting on the brick? The...
  39. M

    Coefficient of kinetic friction question

    Homework Statement A 65.0kg person, running horizontally with a velocity of +4.25 m/s, jumps onto a 12.0-kg sled that is initially at rest. 1) Ignoring the effects of friction during the collision, find the velocity of the sled and the person as they move away. 2) The sled and the person...
  40. S

    Kinetic Friction, Undefined Pushing Force, Find Normal Force.

    Homework Statement A crate is pushed at constant velocity across a rough, horizontal surface by a push force P. The crate has a weight of 73N. Coefficient of kinetic friction between the crate and the floor is 0.41. Vector force P points at an angle of 37 degrees below the horizontal. What...
  41. J

    How to Calculate Work Done by Kinetic Friction on a Toboggan?

    Homework Statement A toboggan carrying two children with a total mass of 85.0 kg reaches its maximum speed at the bottom of a hill, and then glides to a stop in 21.0 m along a horizontal surface. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the toboggan and the snow surface is 0.110. Calculate...
  42. L

    Solving a Static and Kinetic Friction Problem

    Homework Statement In the following figure(one box on a table, m1, connected to a string that is on a pulley attached to box m2), m1=10kg and m2=4kg. The coefficient of static friction between m1 and the horizonatl surface is 0.50 while the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.30. (a) If the...
  43. nukeman

    Coefficient of Kinetic friction and Friction force help Thanks

    Homework Statement Im working on some typical "Ramp being pulled up an incline" questions and have trouble understanding something. An example question where it stats a box is being pulled up a ramp like the image below: Image: http://i43.tinypic.com/jb486q.jpg Now, first: In order...
  44. L

    Coefficient of Kinetic Friction

    At the bottom of a hill, a snowboarder with a velocity of 16m/s (FWD) skids to a stop after moving a distance of 9.4m. The mass of the board and rider is 71kg, and the magnitude of the force of kinetic friction during the skid is 950N. Determine the coefficient of kinetic friction during...
  45. T

    Static friction and kinetic friction, solve for acceleration and force.

    Homework Statement A 62 kg crate is dragged across a floor by pulling on a rope attached to the crate and inclined 16° above the horizontal. (a) If the coefficient of static friction is 0.57, what minimum force magnitude is required from the rope to start the crate moving? (b) If μk = 0.31...
  46. P

    Projectile problem: with coefficient of kinetic friction?

    Homework Statement Julia is delivering newspapers. Suppose she is driving at 15 m/s along a straight road and wants to drop a paper out the window from a height of 1.00m so it slides along the shoulder and comes to rest in the customer's driveway. At what horizontal distance before the...
  47. L

    Kinetic Friction with Blocks Need Help.

    Homework Statement Suppose the coefficient of kinetic friction between m1 and the plane in the figure is μk=0.20, and that m1=m2=2.2kg. a) As moves down, determine the magnitude of the acceleration of m1 and m2 given θ=28o. b) What smallest value of μk will keep this system from...
  48. A

    Conceptual Help acceleration of eggs sliding on truck using kinetic friction

    NEED CONCEPTUAL HELP ONLY! A package of eggs (mass 60.0 kg) sits on the flatbed of a pickup truck with an open tailgate. The coefficient of static friction between the package and the truck's flatbed is 0.350, and the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.250. a) The truck accelerates...
  49. U

    Calculating Coefficients of Friction for a Sliding Book

    Homework Statement When you push a 1.55 kg book resting on a tabletop it takes 2.50 N to start the book sliding. Once it is sliding, however, it takes only 1.50 N to keep the book moving with constant speed. What are the coefficients of static and kinetic friction between the book and the...
  50. C

    Finding the coefficient of kinetic friction of 3 blocks

    Homework Statement When three blocks are released from rest, they accelerate with a magnitude of 0.500 m/s2. Block 1 has mass M, block 2 has 2M, and block 3 has 2M. What is the coefficient of kinetic friction between block 2 and the table? (The blocks are arranged with block 1 hanging from...
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