Friction

Tolentino, Paul Diony S.

PHY10L B4
CE-2

1. INTRODUCTION
In this experiment, we were instructed to look for the coefficient of friction and compare it to the
angle of repose. Friction is the force that makes an object harder to move as its direction is always the
opposite of the motion.
2. METHODOLOGY
The main materials used in the experiment were the wooden block, pulley and the set of weights.
The weight of pan is increased until it moves the block. In the first table, the weight of pan is divided by
the weight of block to get the coefficient of friction. In the second table, the height is divided by the
horizontal distance to get the tangent theta which was similar to the coefficient. Lastly, the weight of pan
was solved by getting the sum of the coefficient multiplied by cosine of the angle and weight of the block,
and the blocks weight multiplied by the sine of the angle.
3. DATA AND RESULTS
In the first table, with weights increasing, the average coefficient of friction computed was
0.1426. In the second, the angle of repose computed were around 8.20 degrees to 8.53 degrees. In the last
table, with the angle increasing, the computed weight of pan ranged from 59.1217 to 211.01 grams while
the experimental values were from 60 to 210 grams.
4. ANALYSIS
After this experiment, we learned that the coefficient of friction is equal to the weight of the pan
over the weight of the block. This means that the coefficient is the ratio of needed force to make the block
move along the track. The experiment also showed us that the computed tangent of the angle of repose is
approximate to the average coefficient of friction. In the last part of the experiment, by adding the
coefficient of friction times weight of the block times cosine of the angle and the product of the blocks
weight with sine of the angle, we were able to compute for the pans weight. Comparing it to the
experimental value, the highest percentage error we got is 1.60 percent. In performing this experiment, be
sure that the string of the pulley is parallel to the track as it may cause minimal errors to the computations
and also try to check if the measuring devices are straight and not bent.