Calculating Force

abrahamjp

Hi,

Consider a block sits on a table and its weight is 25N.So its weight is acting downwards
and I want to move this block horizontally and I am applying a force of 30N.

How I can calculate whether with this Force body moves?

Cheers

Abraham

Low-Q

If you use 30N of force to move the block at constant velocity, there is friction between the table and the block that is the cause of neccessary force. If you must apply 30N to make it move in the first place, some of that force is used to accelerate the block. Hard to say what the acceleration is untill the block moves at constant velocity. Also hard to calculate this as both acceleration and friction are unknown.

Vidar

abrahamjp

Hi,
If I take coificient of friction as 0.4 for wood table.
But I am not getting acceleration figure.I just want to move it from rest
and use a force by pushing it with hand.

Doc Al

Use the coefficient of friction to calculate the maximum value of static friction. That will tell you if your 30 N force is sufficient to get it moving.

abrahamjp

So friction helps in movement,right?If my block would have been in free space compared to resting on a table with 0.4cof-->pulling force reuired is 0.4 times less than that in free space.

SteamKing

Friction acts to retard movement. If friction acted otherwise, nothing could ever stay still.

abrahamjp

right.Friction in free space is ZERO,I was thinking it is 1.

SteamKing

Instead of friction, perhaps you were thinking of sliction.

BruceW

lol. As Doc Al was saying, you can calculate the max friction force, using the coefficient of friction and the normal force (weight, in this case). This max friction force is the minimum pulling force to cause movement of the block, because the friction force will take whatever value is necessary to stop movement. (until its max value is reached, in which case it will still oppose movement, but will not be enough to stop movement from happening). In free space, there is no friction, so the minimum pulling force is zero (as you would expect).