CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that NANDITHA K of 11th ‘B’ has submitted the

Physics Investigatory Project Report on the topic – ROLLING
FRICTION for examinations as prescribed by the Central Board of
Secondary Education (CBSE) for the year 2023-24.

Internal Examiner Teacher in charge

External Examiner Principal

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge and thank Vijai Sir
and Vasuma Ma’am for their encouragement and support. Without
their constant motivation, this project would not have been
possible.

I would like to express my gratitude to my physics teacher,

Vijayalakshmi Ma’am for her invaluable guidance and support
throughout the project. Her expert knowledge and tireless efforts
have been instrumental in the successful completion of this project.

I am also grateful to Mr. Shashi, the lab attendant, for his assistance
in the lab and for ensuring that I had everything I needed to
complete my experiment safely. His support is greatly appreciated.

I would like to thank the rest of the staff at Vidyaniketan for

providing me with the necessary resources and facilities to complete
this project.

Finally, I would like to thank my parents and friends who have

helped me with their suggestions, which have proved to be very
helpful throughout this project.
INTRODUCT
ON
PRINCIPLE:
Downward force acting on the
roller along the incline plane
increases with increase in the
angle of friction
Here a roller of mass M1 has been placed on an
inclined plane making an angle θ with the
horizontal. An upward force, along the inclined
plane, could be applied on the mass M1 by
adjusting the weights on the pan suspended
with a string while its other end is attached to
the mass through a pulley fixed at the top of the
inclined plane. The force on the the mass M1
when it is moving with a constant velocity v will
be W = M1 g sin θ – fr where Fr is the force of
friction due to rolling, M1 is mass of roller and W
is the total tension in the string (W = weight
suspended). Assuming there is no friction
between the pulley and the string.
 THEORY
i. Roller moving downward
T1

Fr
T1+Fr=mgsin θ
Where T1=Tension in the string
θ Fr= frictional force
θ mgcosθ
is n M1=Mass of the scale pan
g Fr
m
mg with weights added

T2
T2=mgsin θ+Fr
Where T2=Tension in the string
Fr= frictional force
Fr
M2=Mass of the scale pan

with weights added θ

θ mgcosθ
is n
g Fr
m
mg
θ
FORMULA:
W1+W2
W= =W’ sinθ
2

W= downward force acting along an

inclined plane
W1= tension in the string when roller
moves downward
W2= tension in the string when roller
moves upward
W’=weight of Roller
Θ=Angle of inclined plane
DIAGRAM
OBJECTIVE:
To find the downward force along an inclined
plane acting on a roller due to gravitational
pull of the earth and study is relationship with
the angle of inclination by plotting graph
between force and θ.
REQUIREMEN
TS
Inclined plane with glass top and
pulley, roller, weight box, spring
balance, spirit level, pan and
thread
Procedure:
1. Arrange the inclined plane, roller and the masses
in the pan as shown in Fig. E. 8.1. Ensure that the
pulley is frictionless. Lubricate it using machine oil, if
necessary.

2. To start with, let the value of W be adjusted so as

to permit the roller to stay at the top of the inclined
plane at rest.

3. Start decreasing the masses in small steps in the

pan until the roller just starts moving down the
plane with a constant velocity. Note W and also the
angle θ. Fig. E 8.2 shows the free body diagram for
the situation when the roller just begins to move
downwards.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for different values of θ.

Tabulate your observations.
OBSERVATION:
Least count of spring balance = 10 gf
Weight of scale pan: Ws = 30 gf
Weight of the roller: Wr = 150gf
RESULT:
Therefore, within
experimental error,
downward force along
inclined plane is
directly proportional
to θ, where θ is the
angle of inclination of
the plane.
PRECAUTIONS
1. Ensure that the inclined plane is placed on a
horizontal surface using the spirit level.
2. Pulley must be frictionless.
3. The weight should suspend freely without
touching the table or other objects.
4. Roller should roll smoothly, that is, without
slipping.
5. Weight, W should be decreased in small steps.
SOURCES OF ERROR:

1. Error may creep in due to poor judgement of

constant velocity.
2. Pulley may not be frictionless.
3. It may be difficult to determine the exact point
when the roller begins to slide with constant
velocity.
4. The inclined surface may not be of uniform
smoothness/roughness.
5. Weights in the weight box may not be
standardised.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
• Physics lab manual Class XI
• Class XI Physics NCERT textbook
• https://www.britannica.com/science/rolling-
friction