Experiment 105: Friction

Brian Christopher P. Hilado

School of Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering
Mapua Institute of Technology

1. Conclusion

Friction is a force that opposes the movement of another body when in contact with another. In this
experiment, we’re able to determine the coefficient of friction, the angle of repose and the maximum force that causes
the uniform motion. Based on the results gathered, to get the coefficient force is by F=uN, where u is the coefficient
of friction and N is the normal force equivalent to the magnitude of mg. In getting the angle of repose, coefficient of
friction must be equal to the tangent of the angle of repose. And lastly based on the gathered data, we can obtain the
maximum force that causes friction by multiplying the cosine of its coefficient friction to weight of the object plus
sine of the weight of the object. Another observation was that as the values for Wb increasing, Wp also increases.

All the data that were gathered was correct and reasonable. Although it is not guaranteed that it’s 100%
accurate since there might be some factors in which can affect the results of this experiment such as if the surface
where the track was put is not parallel to the ground or surface of the ground, chances are the results might be different
from what’s been computed.

2. Application

Since friction is a resistance force that slows down or prevents motion, it is necessary in many applications
where you might want to hold items or do things and prevented slipping or sliding. Friction between tires and the road
allows cars to move forward and stay on the road, as well as the friction between your feet and the floor allows you to
move. Friction between brake pads and wheels allows cars to break. When parts of a motor rub together, friction
occurs. In relation to breaks, friction force is used to stop your car/bike when you step on the breaks. Without friction,
it would have been difficult to walk in the surface. As we know, in icy or snowy surface it is hard to walk. To stop
suddenly while walking, driving we need friction. To burn the match stick there must be friction between the match
box and the match stick. To warm our hand, we rub them against one another which is as due to the friction. In slippery
road, sand and other gravels are used to provide sufficient friction for vehicles to stop.

Friction is everywhere but we don’t usually pin point it out or we are just not aware of it that it happens. It
also helps us for instance, when we are riding a cycle, the friction between the wheels and the road helps it to slow
down. Without friction, we could not stop. It helps us to produce fire. Old Stone age people learnt that friction produces
fire. They produced fire by rubbing two stones and the fire produced is due to friction. Friction can also cause damage,
there are many merits and demerits of this friction. In Civil Engineering, friction is important in designing roads. As
an example, when one designs a road they need to consider the type of soil or concrete to place or to be used as the
coefficient of friction of each. The angle of elevation is also considered to control the amount of friction that a vehicle
makes when making turns.