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Laboratory No. 3
FORCES OF FRICTION: The Static and Kinetic

I. Objectives:
• To make some basic measurements of friction.
• To measure the coefficients of static friction between
several combinations of surfaces using a heavy block and a
set of hanging masses.
• To measure the coefficient of kinetic friction between two
of the combinations of surfaces you used in the static
friction part of this experiment.

II. Concept/Theory:
There are different forms of frictional forces that occur.
When friction acts on an object that is at rest, we refer to
the frictional force as static friction. An object that is in
motion is subject to kinetic, or dynamic, friction. Friction
is a resistive force, one that damps out motion in dynamic
systems and prevents movement in static systems. Friction
occurs because an object interacts with either the surface it
lays upon, the medium it is contained in, or both. Only in a
complete vacuum can a system be free of friction.
Part 1: Static Friction
The coefficient of static friction µ s can be measured
experimentally for an object placed on a flat surface and
pulled using a known force. The coefficient of static friction
is related to the Normal Force F N of the object on the
surface, when the object just begins to slide. Using what we
have covered in class, you can derive this relationship
yourself!

Normal Force
N
Friction Tension
fF FT

Figure 1
Gravitational
Force
Fg (mg)
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Hint #1: The normal force F N and the weight mg (gravitational

force) are equal. Why?
Hint #2: The force of friction fF is equivalent to the normal
force FN times the coefficient of friction µ.

When you want to push a heavy object, static friction is the

force that you must overcome in order to get it moving. The
magnitude of the static frictional force, fs, satisfies

fs ≤ µsN
where µ s is the coefficient of static friction, a dimensionless
constant that depends on the object and the surface it is laying
upon. From this equation it is clear that the maximum force of
static friction, fs,max that can be exerted on an object by a
surface is

fs,max = µsN
Once the applied force exceeds this threshold the object will
begin to move. A common example of a static friction force is
that of a stationary mass on an incline. Figure 2 depicts the
free-body diagram of this case.

y
fs N
x mg
θ
Figure 2. Free-body diagram of a mass on an incline

If the angle at which the mass begins to slide is known, we can

determine µs by decomposing the forces into the Cartesian
coordinates, x, y, as given in Figure 2. Since we are interested
in the instant at which movement begins, we are dealing with an
object in equilibrium. Thus, the resultant force in both the x
and y directions must be zero. Analysis of the forces in the x
direction yields.
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fs = mg sinθ (1)

Following a similar procedure for the y direction yields

N = mg cosθ. (2)

However, we know that at the instant that the mass begins to

move

fs = fs,max = µsN (3)

Thus, by substituting (2) into (3) and equating the result with
(1) we can solve for µ s as follows

Fs = µs mg cosθ = mg sinθ
⇒ = µs = tanθ

Part 2: Kinetic Friction

You can calculate the coefficient of kinetic friction, µ k using a
variation of the method you used for the coefficient of static
friction. For the coefficient of kinetic friction, you can use
the same free body diagram as the one drawn on the first page.
Now, the combination of the force of tension and the force of
friction will need to add up such that the block will slide at a
constant speed or with zero acceleration. Think of Newton’s
first and second laws when you set up this equation

Once the force applied on a mass exceeds fs,max and the mass
begins to move, a kinetic friction force, fk, exists. Kinetic
friction coefficients are generally less than static friction
coefficients, which is the reason that it is much easier to keep
a heavy object in motion than it is to start it in motion [4].
The magnitude of the kinetic frictional force is given as
follows

fk = µk N

where µk is the coefficient of kinetic friction and is

approximately constant. Figure 3 is a plot of frictional force
versus applied force. The slight fluctuations in the kinetic
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region of the plot are due to the slight dependency of µ k on the
speed of the object.

Figure 3. Plot of frictional force versus applied force

Table 1 lists the coefficients of static and kinetic friction

for various object/surface combinations. The coefficient of
static friction is less than that of kinetic friction for all
cases in the table except Teflon on Teflon.

Table 1. Coefficients of static and kinetic friction

III. Materials:

1. Computer simulation software

Static Friction
http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/HTML5/static_friction.html
Static and Kinetic Friction
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http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/HTML5/force_motion_1D_friction
.html

https://ophysics.com/f2.html

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/forces-and-motion-
basics/latest/forces-and-motion-basics_en.html
2. Protractor, ruler/scale

IV. Procedure:

Write your answers (one decimal place after decimal point) on

the data and results part of the worksheet and attach your
evidences when turning it in. You must show all of your work for
full credit. Make it clear that you understand what you’re
doing. Any graphs, tables, and free body diagrams should be made
either via computer software or manual drawing and attached to
this handout.

1. A box of mass m is placed on a smooth (frictionless)

incline that makes an angle with the horizontal, as shown
in Figure 4. (a) Determine the normal force on the box. (b)
Determine the box’s acceleration. (c) Evaluate for a mass
and an incline of θ = 30°.

Figure 4.

2. A 10 kg box is motionless on the floor. If the coefficient

of static friction is 0.4 and the coefficient of kinetic
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friction is 0.3 (between the box and the floor), find the
force required to start the block in motion.
3. It takes a 50 N horizontal force to pull a 20 kg object
along the ground at a constant velocity. What is the
coefficient of kinetic friction?

4. A 50 kg crate is being pushed across a horizontal floor by

a horizontal force of 575 N. If the coefficient of sliding
friction is 0.25, what is the acceleration of the crate?

5. A cart with a mass of 2.0 kg is pulled across a level desk

by a horizontal force of 4.0 N. If the coefficient of
kinetic friction is 0.12, what is the acceleration of the
cart?
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Calculus-Based Physics
Name and Section Mark Daniel Mallari CIV201
Nico Pile
Mark anthony Santos Rating
Jaira Mae Fajardo
Charles Recta
Date Performed April 18, 2022
Date Submitted April 18, 2022

Laboratory No. 3
FORCES OF FRICTION: The Static and Kinetic

V. Data and Results:

1. 4.9 m/s^2
2. 39.2 N
3. 0.3
4. 9.1 m/s^2
5. 0.8 m/s^2

VI. Computation:
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VII. Conclusion:

Friction is beneficial and necessary for traction, which

allows for movement on land. For accelerating, slowing, and
changing directions, the bulk of land vehicles rely on
friction.

VIII. Questions:

1. How do the values of µs compare to the values of µk? (Of

course, you can only compare them for the same pairs of
materials.)
The coefficient of static friction μs characterizes friction
when no movement exists between the two surfaces in question,
and the kinetic coefficient μk characterizes friction where
motion occurs.
2. Is the relationship between µs and µk what you expected?
Explain.
Since the objects are at rest with one another, more molecular
bonds are able to form making the object harder to move and so
greater force is needed to start motion when compared to the
kinetic friction case. Therefore µs is generally greater than
µk.
3. What are three reasons why friction is needed?
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1)The force of friction between the tyre of a vehicle and the
road. The rough surface of the road and the surface of the tyre
reduce the possibility of the car skidding off the road.

2)The friction that exists between the leg and the floor enables
us to walk freely without slipping

3)Friction also enables the smooth belt of a grinder to slide

freely over motor
4. Does the coefficient of friction change with mass?
Friction can’t affect mass of a substance(considering for a
substance whose mass doesn’t change with time),rather it is the
mass of an object which can affect friction variously.
5. How can we reduce friction?
By polishing the surface, as polishing makes the surface smooth
and friction can be reduced.
6. What would happen if there was no friction?
Friction stops things from sliding apart. If there was no
friction everything would slide to the lowest point. It would be
impossible to climb up anything.
7. Does frictional force depends on mass?
Friction does not depend on the mass of the body. It depends on
the normal force and the roughness of the surface in contact.
8. What are 3 factors that affect friction?
The adhesion between body surfaces (ii) roughness of the surface
(iii) deformation of bodies.
9. Is friction affected by surface area?
Surface area plays no role in determining the force due to
friction. The friction coefficient is a property of the surface
and doesn’t change for any object.
10. Can human live without friction?
It would be impossible. From the human perspective, it would be
impossible to stand up or even move. Simply crawling requires a
force to make you move. That is provided by friction.
11. Why is the coefficient of friction less than 1?
Explain.
A value of 0 means there is no friction at all between the
objects; such is possible with Superfluidity. All objects,
otherwise, will have some friction when they touch each
other. A value of 1 means the frictional force is equal to
the normal force.
IX. Works Cited
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https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coefficient_of_friction
https://byjus.com/questions/what-are-the-methods-of-reducing-
friction-explain/

Static and Kinetic Friction

http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/HTML5/force_motion_1D_friction
.html

https://ophysics.com/f2.html

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/forces-and-motion-
basics/latest/forces-and-motion-basics_en.html

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