4.

Solving Friction Problems

Sometimes friction is desirable and we want to increase the coefficient of friction to
help keep objects at rest. For example, a running shoe is typically designed to have a
large coefficient of friction between the sole and the floor or ground (Figure 1). The
design of the sole involves choosing materials with high coefficients of friction, and
shaping the sole to increase friction under wet conditions, among other factors. Even
the appearance is important because people want their shoes to look good.
However, sometimes we want as little friction as possible. A hockey player
shooting a puck toward the net does not want the puck to slow down as it moves
across the ice (Figure 2). In transportation technologies, you want to minimize
the force of friction acting on accelerating railway cars and trailers pulled by
trucks. In this section, you will explore how the force of friction affects the motion of
an object, whether the object is at rest or in motion. You will also learn how to solve
problems involving friction.

Figure 1 The sole of a running shoe

is designed to increase friction to help
runners accelerate quickly.

Static Friction Problems

Sometimes when you push on an object, it does not move. The reason is that
static friction is acting on the object. If two or more objects are attached, you
must overcome the combined maximum force of static friction to cause the
objects to move. For example, when a train pulls several railway cars forward, it
must exert enough force to overcome the combined maximum force of static friction acting on all the railway cars. If the applied force acting on the railway cars
is less than this combined force of static friction, the cars will not move. In the
following Tutorial, we will examine the effect of static friction when it is acting
on more than one object.

Figure 2 When a puck moves across the

ice, it is better to have less friction.

Tutorial 1 Static Friction Acting on Several Objects

In the following Sample Problem, we will use the coefficient of friction to determine the
forces acting on sleds being pulled by an adult.

Sample Problem 1
Two sleds are tied together with a rope (Figure 3). The
coefficient of static friction between each sled and the snow is
0.22. A small child is sitting on sled 1 (total mass of 27 kg) and
a larger child sits on sled 2 (total mass of 38 kg). An adult pulls
on the sleds.
sled 2

sled 1
Fa ?

Figure 3

(a) What is the greatest horizontal force that the adult can exert
on sled 1 without moving either sled?

NEL

(b) Calculate the magnitude of the tension in the rope between

sleds 1 and 2 when the adult exerts this greatest horizontal
force.

Solution
(a) The two sleds do not move when the adult pulls on sled 1. This
means that the net force acting on the sleds is zero and
the applied force must be cancelled by the total maximum
force of static friction acting on the two sleds. To calculate
the static friction, we combine the two masses and treat
the sleds as one single object.
Given: mT 5 27 kg 1 38 kg 5 65 kg; mS 5 0.22
>
Required: F Smax

4.3 Solving Friction Problems

173

Analysis: mS 5

Keep in mind that sled 2 does not move, which means the
net force is zero. In this case, the tension and the static
friction acting on sled 2 will cancel.

FSmax
FN

Solution: FSmax 5 mSFN

5 mSmTg
5 10.222 165 kg2 19.8 m/s22

Given: m 5 38 kg; mS 5 0.22

FSmax 5 140 N

Statement: The greatest horizontal force that the adult

can exert on sled 1 without moving either sled is
140 N [forward].

FSmax 5 82 N

(b) Draw the FBD for sled 2 (Figure 4).

Statement: The magnitude of the tension in the rope is 82 N.

FN

FSmax

Required: FT
FSmax
Analysis: Since FT 5 FSmax, calculate FSmax using mS 5
FN
Solution: FSmax 5 mSFN
5 mSmg
5 10.222 138 kg2 19.8 m/s22

FT
Fg

Figure 4

Practice
1. Two trunks sit side by side on the floor. The larger trunk (52 kg) is to the left of the
smaller trunk (34 kg). A person pushes on the larger trunk horizontally toward the
right. The coefficient of static friction between the trunks and the floor is 0.35. T/i
(a) Determine the magnitude of the maximum force the person can exert without
moving either trunk. [ans: 290 N]
(b) Calculate the force the larger trunk exerts on the smaller trunk. [ans: 120 N [right]]
(c) Would either answer change if the person pushed in the opposite direction on the
smaller trunk? Explain your reasoning.
2. A 4.0 kg block of wood sits on a table (Figure 5). A string is tied to the wood,
running over a pulley and down to a hanging object. The greatest mass that can be
hung from the string without moving the block of wood is 1.8 kg. Calculate the coefficient
of static friction between the block of wood and the table. T/i [ans: 0.45]

4.0 kg

pulley

1.8 kg
Figure 5

Static Friction and Motion

2-OP11USB

(1st pass 7381-A)

Figure 6 When starting a race, an

athlete can achieve a greater forward
acceleration by pushing backwards on
starting blocks.
174

It is important to understand that static friction acts on an object when the object is
at rest on a surface. This does not mean that static friction cannot be used to make an
object move. For example, when you take a step forward, the bottom of your shoe is
at rest with respect to the ground. The foot you are standing on is not actually moving
forward with the rest of your body. The action force is you pushing backwards on the
ground. According to Newtons third law, the ground pushes back on your foot with a
force of equal magnitude but opposite in direction (the reaction force). This reaction
force is the force of static friction, and it is this force that actually pushes you forward.
Keep in mind that the force of static friction is usually greater in magnitude than
the force of kinetic friction. This means that in a race from a standing start without
starting blocks (Figure 6), you ideally want to push backwards with both feet, making
sure your shoes do not slip. In the following Tutorial, we will examine the effect of
static friction that causes an object to move.

Ontario Physics 11 SB
Chapter 4 Applications of Forces0-17-650433-8
FN

C04-F013-OP11USB

NEL

Tutorial 2 Static Friction Can Cause Motion

The following Sample Problem will demonstrate how to calculate the maximum magnitude
of acceleration when the coefficient of static friction is given.

Sample Problem 1
The coefficient of static friction between a persons shoe
and the ground is 0.70. Determine the maximum magnitude
of acceleration of the 62 kg person, if he starts running on a
horizontal surface from rest.

In this case, the maximum force of static friction is the net

force since the normal force and gravity cancel. First we
need to calculate FSmax.

Given: mS 5 0.70; m 5 62 kg

Solution: FSmax 5 mSFN

5 mSmg
5 10.702 162 kg2 19.8 m/s22

Required: a
Analysis: Draw the FBD of the person (Figure 7).

Fnet 5 FSmax; FSmax 5 mSFN

FSmax 5 425.3 N 1two extra digits carried2

FN

Now calculate the magnitude of the acceleration:

FSmax
Fg
Figure 7

Fnet 5 FSmax
ma 5 425.3N
162 kg2 a 5 425.3 N
a 5 6.9 m/s2

Statement: The maximum magnitude of the acceleration is

6.9 m/s2.

Practice
1. Two people start running from rest. The first person has a mass of 59 kg and is wearing
dress shoes with a coefficient of static friction of 0.52. The other person is wearing
running shoes with a coefficient of static friction of 0.66. T/I
(a) Calculate the maximum possible initial acceleration of the person wearing dress
shoes. [ans: 5.1 m/s2 [forward]]
(b) Explain why we do not really need the mass of either person when finding the initial
maximum possible acceleration.
(c) Determine the ratio of the two accelerations and compare it to the ratio of the two
coefficients of friction. [ans: 0.79; they are equal]
2. A skater with mass 58 kg is holding one end of a rope and standing at rest on ice. Assume no
friction. Another person with mass 78 kg is standing just off the ice on level ground and is holding
the other end of the rope. The person standing on the ground pulls on the rope to accelerate the
skater forward. The coefficient of static friction between the ground and the off-ice person is 0.65.
Calculate the maximum possible acceleration of the skater. T/I [ans: 8.6 m/s2 [toward off-ice person]]

FK

Kinetic Friction Problems

14-OP11USB When an object is sliding across a surface, kinetic friction acts on the object in a

(a)

Fnet

Fa

direction opposite to the direction of motion. One common misconception is that

Fnet
kinetic friction always reduces the net force acting on an object. For example, in
FK
Fa
Sample Problem 1 in Tutorial 3, a person pushes against a sliding box to stop it from
ss (1st pass 7381-A)
sliding any farther. In this situation, both the applied force and the kinetic friction
(b)
act in the same direction (Figure 8(a)). So the magnitude of the net force is greater
Figure 8 (a) Both the applied force
than if the person applies a force in the opposite direction (Figure 8(b)). In the foland friction
in the same
lowing Tutorial, we will examine how kinetic friction causes a moving object to come Oops!
Sorryactabout
the direction,
last pass.
producing
a
large
net
force.
(b) The applied
to rest.

NEL

force and kinetic friction act in opposite

directions,
producing
a smaller
netaforce.
This is going to
be slightly
wider
than
margin widt
Can the length of the vectors be shortened to fit?
4.3 Solving Friction Problems 175

Tutorial 3 Kinetic Friction and Motion

The following Sample Problems will help to clarify the effect of kinetic friction on motion.

Sample Problem 1: Stopping a Sliding Box

A 250 kg box slides down a ramp and then across a level floor.
The coefficient of kinetic friction along the floor is 0.20. A person
sees the box moving at 1.0 m/s [left] and pushes on it with a
horizontal force of 140 N [right].
(a) How far does the box travel before coming to rest?
(b) How will the results change if the box is moving right and
the person still pushes right with the same force?

Solution

>
(a) Given: mK 5 0.20; m 5 250 kg; F a 5 140 N 3 right 4
Required: Dd

Analysis: Draw the FBD of the box (Figure 9). Choose right
and up as positive and left and down as negative. The kinetic
friction must be opposite to the motion. We will first determine
the kinetic friction. We can then use the FBD to find the
acceleration. Once we have the acceleration, we can use one
of the kinematics equations to calculate the distance.
>
>
>
v22 5 v12 1 2aDd; FK 5 mK FN ; F net 5 F a 1 F K
direction of motion
FN

Solution: FK 5 mKFN
5 mKmg
5 10.202 1250 kg2 19.8 m/s22
5 490 N

Now calculate the acceleration.

>
>
>
F net 5 F a 1 F K
ma 5 140 N 1 490 N
1250 kg2 a 5 630 N
a 5 2.52 m/s2
>
a 5 2.52 m/s2 3 right 4 1one extra digit carried2

Next calculate the distance travelled. Since we do not know

the time, we use the kinematics equation v22 5 v12 1 2aDd.
v22 5 v12 1 2aDd
v22 2 v12 5 2aDd
v22 2 v12
Dd 5
2a
02 2 121.0 m/s2 2
Dd 5
2 12.52 m/s22
Dd 5 20.20 m
Statement: The box moves 0.20 m before coming to rest.
(b) In this situation, friction is directed toward the left. Since the
applied force acts in the opposite direction, the net force will
be smaller. So the acceleration will now also be smaller, and
the box will travel farther before coming to rest.

FK
Fa
Fg

Figure 9

Sample Problem 2
Two sleds tied together are pulled across an icy surface with
an applied force of 150 N [E] (Figure 10). The mass of sled 1
is 18.0 kg and the mass of sled 2 is 12.0 kg. The coefficient of
kinetic friction for each sled is 0.20.
(a) Calculate the acceleration of the sleds.

There is no need to consider the tension at this point

because it is an internal force and does not contribute to the
acceleration of the total mass.
Draw the FBD of the two sleds (Figure 11). Choose east and
up as positive and west and down as negative.

(b) Determine the magnitude of the tension in the rope between

the sleds.
sled 2

sled 1

FN

150 N [E]

Figure 10

FK

Solution
(a) Both sleds move together with the same acceleration so we
can treat them as one large object. The total mass of the two
sleds is mT 5 18.0 kg 1 12.0 kg 5 30.0 kg.
176

Chapter 4 Applications of Forces

Figure 11

150 N [E]
Fg

>
Given: mK 5 0.20; m T 5 30.0 kg; F a 5 150 N 3 E 4

NEL

>
Required: a
>
> >
>
>
Analysis: F net 5 ma ; F net 5 F a 1 F K
Solution: First we need to determine the force of kinetic friction.
FK 5 mKFN
5 mKm Tg
5 10.202 130.0 kg2 19.8 m/s22
FK 5 58.8 N 1one extra digit carried2
Now calculate the acceleration.
>
>
>
F net 5 F a 1 F K
m Ta 5 150 N 2 58.8 N
130.0 kg2 a 5 91.2 N
a 5 3.04 m/s2
>
a 5 3.0 m/s2 3 E 4

Statement: The acceleration of both sleds is 3.0 m/s2 [E].

(b) To calculate the magnitude of the tension, we can use the

FBD for sled 2.
FN

FK

FT
Fg

>
>
>
F net 5 F T 1 F K2
m2a 5 FT 2 mKm2g
112.0 kg2 13.04 m/s22 5 FT 2 10.202 112.0 kg2 19.8 m/s22
FT 5 60 N
Statement: The magnitude of the tension in the rope is 60 N.

Practice
1. A 0.170 kg hockey puck is initially moving at 21.2 m/s [W] along the ice. The coefficient
of kinetic friction for the puck and the ice is 0.005. T/i
(a) What is the speed of the puck after travelling 58.5 m? [ans: 21.1 m/s]
(b) After being played on for a while, the ice becomes rougher and the coefficient of
kinetic friction increases to 0.047. How far will the puck travel if its initial and final
speeds are the same as before? [ans: 6.24 m]
2. A snowmobile is used to pull two sleds across the ice. The mass of the snowmobile and
the rider is 320 kg. The mass of the first sled behind the snowmobile is 120 kg and the
Ontario Physics 11 U
mass of the second sled is 140 kg. The ground exerts a force of 1500 N [forward] on
the snowmobile. The0176504338
coefficient of kinetic friction for the sleds on ice is 0.15. Assume
C04-F019-OP11USB
FNforces act on the snowmobile.
that no other frictional
Calculate the acceleration of the
2
T/i
C
snowmobile and sleds.
[ans: 1.9 m/sNesbitt
[forward]]
CO
3.2 kg
3. A string is tied to a 3.2 kg object on a table and a 1.5 kg object hanging over a pulley
(Figure 12). The coeffiPass
cient of kinetic friction3rd
between
3.2pass
kg object
and the table is
passthe
(1st
7381-A)
0.30. T/i
Approved
(a) Calculate the acceleration of each object. [ans: 1.1 m/s2 [R]; 1.1 m/s2 [down]]
Not Approved
(b) Determine the magnitude
of the tension in the string. [ans: 13 N]
(c) How far will the objects move in 1.2 s if the initial velocity of the 3.2 kg object is
1.3 m/s [right]? [ans: 2.4 m]
4. An electric motor is used to pull a 125 kg box across a floor using a long cable. The
tension in the cable is 350 N and the box accelerates at 1.2 m/s2 [forward] for 5.0 s. Figure 12
The cable breaks and the box slows down and stops. T/i C
(a) Calculate the coefficient of kinetic friction. [ans: 0.16]
(b) How far does the box travel up to the moment the cable breaks? [ans: 15 m]
(c) How far does the box travel from the moment the cable breaks until it stops? [ans: 11 m]

4.3 Summary
Static friction exists between an object and a surface when the object is not
sliding on the surface.
Static friction can be used to move objects.
Kinetic friction always acts in a direction that is opposite to the motion of the object.
Th
e kinematics equations from Unit 1 can be used to solve some problems
involving friction and other forces.
NEL

Investigation

pulley

1.5 kg

4.3.1

Predicting Motion with Friction

(p. 194)
In this investigation, you will calculate
the acceleration of a system of objects
using Newtons laws. Then you will
measure the actual acceleration.

4.3 Solving Friction Problems

177

4.3 Questions
1. During fundraising week at school, students decide to hold
a competition of strength. Contestants pay $1 to try to
move a heavy object. If they can move the object, they
win $10. The object is a large box of books of mass
250 kg, with a coefficient of static friction of 0.55. One
student has a mass of 64 kg and a coefficient of friction of
static friction of 0.72 for his shoes on the floor. T/i
(a) What is the maximum force of static friction acting on
the student?
(b) What is the maximum force of static friction acting on
the box?
(c) Is the competition fair? Explain your reasoning.
2. In an action movie, an actor is lying on an ice shelf and holding
onto a rope. The rope hangs over a cliff to another actor who
is hanging on in midair. The actor on the ice shelf has a mass
of 55 kg and the actor hanging in midair has a mass of 78 kg.
Neither actor can grab onto anything to help stop their motion,
yet in the movie neither one is moving. T/i A
(a) Calculate the minimum coefficient of static friction.
(b) Is your answer to (a) reasonable considering that the
surface is ice? Explain.
(c) What could the director do to make the scene more
realistic? Explain your reasoning.

(c) Will this investigation yield an accurate result if they use

it to find the coefficient of static friction? Explain
your reasoning.
(d) The coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.34. Calculate
the acceleration of the block when the final washer is
placed in the bucket and the objects start to move.
4.4 kg

pulley

120 g

Figure 13

6. In a tug-of-war contest on a firm, horizontal sandy beach,

team A has six players with an average mass of 65 kg and
team B has five players with an average mass of 84 kg.
Team B, pulling with a force of 3.2 kN, dislodges team A
and then decreases its force to 2.9 kN to pull team A
across the sand at a constant velocity. Determine team As
coefficient of
(a) static friction
(b) kinetic friction T/i

3. In a physics experiment on static friction, two objects made

of identical material are tied together with string. The first
object has a mass of 5.0 kg and the second object has
7. Two students push a 260 kg piano across the floor. Kathy
a mass of 3.0 kg. Students measure the maximum force
pushes with 280 N [forward] while Matt pushes with 340 N
of static friction as 31.4 N to move both objects across a
T/i
[forward]. The piano accelerates at 0.30 m/s2 [forward]. T/i
horizontal surface.
(a) What is the coefficient of kinetic friction?
(a) What is the coefficient of static friction?
(b) How long will it take the piano to stop moving after
(b) What is the magnitude of the tension in the string if
pushing it for 6.2 s from rest?
they pull on the first object?
(c) A student pushes the 3.0 kg Ontario
object Physics
with a 11
force
8. A 65 kg sprinter accelerates from rest into a strong wind
SB of
15.0 [down]. What are the magnitudes
of the maximum
0-17-650433-8
that exerts a frictional force of 62 N. The ground applies a
force of static friction and the tension now?
constant forward force of 250 N on the sprinters feet. T/i
FN
C04-F022-OP11USB
(d) Will your answers to (c) change
if the student
pushes
(a) Calculate
CO
down on the 5.0 kg object instead?
Explain.Allan Moon
(i) the sprinters acceleration
Pass
1st pass
(ii) the distance travelled in the first 2.0 s
4. A student puts a 0.80 kg book against a vertical wall and
Approved
(iii) the minimum coefficient of friction between the
pushes on the book toward the wall with a force of 26 N [R].
sprinters shoes and the track
The book does not move. T/i Not Approved
(b)
Is
the
friction applied on the sprinter from the ground
(a) Calculate the minimum coefficient of static friction.
static or kinetic? Explain.
(b) Describe two ways the student could make the book
accelerate down without changing the applied force.
9. A homeowner accelerates a 15.0 kg lawnmower uniformly
5. A string is tied to a 4.4 kg block and a 120 g hanging bucket
(Figure 13). Students add 20 g washers one at a time to
the bucket. The students are unaware that the coefficient of
static friction for the block on the table is 0.42. T/i
(a) What is the maximum force of static friction for
the block?
(b) How many washers can the students add to the bucket
without moving the block?
178

Chapter 4 Applications of Forces

from rest to 1.2 m/s in 2.0 s. The coefficient of kinetic

friction is 0.25. Calculate the horizontal applied force acting
on the lawnmower. T/i
10. A 75 kg baseball player is running at 2.8 m/s [forward]
when he slides into home plate for a distance of 3.8 m
before coming to rest. Calculate the coefficient of kinetic
friction. T/i

NEL