Calculate Frictional Force: Object on Wood with 730g Weight and 91.5cm Length

[mrkrupa]

There is a 730g object on a piece of wood measuring 91.5cm. If you slowly lift one end of the wood, predict high would you need to lift it in order for the object move.

The attachment has a picture of what is happening

I have figured that the force of gravity it 7.3N and I have drawn a force diagram. I know how to find all the forces, but i do not know how to tell when the object's force has overcome friction. If someone can tell me how to tell when this happenes, I can solve the rest of the problem by myself. Thank you

 

[Doc Al]

The object begins to slide when there's a net force acting down the incline. What are the components of the weight? Are you given the coefficient of friction? How can you calculate the maximum value of static friction?

 

[mrkrupa]

All I was given was the mass of the object

 

[Doc Al]

The mass is one piece of data that you don't need.

 

[mrkrupa]

Well, we had to predict at what height the object would move, and all we were given was the mass. We were not aloud to raise the board. Tho we were aloud to measure the length of the board, which was 91.5cm long.

 

[mrkrupa]

and wouldn't you need the mass to find the force of gravity, and from there you could find the force of friction and the natural force.

 

[Doc Al]

If you knew the coefficient of friction, you could calculate the angle the board must have for the object to start sliding. I suggest you do that and then estimate (or guess) the coefficient of friction for this material against wood.

 

[Doc Al]

and woudln't you need the mass to find the force of gravity, and from there you could find the force of friction and the natural force.

The maximum friction force and gravity are both proportional to the mass, so it will cancel from your calculation.

 

[mrkrupa]

what is a coefficient of friction?

 

[stewartcs]

what is a coefficient of friction?

The ratio of the maximum static frictional force between the surfaces in contact to the normal force.

 

[mrkrupa]

Here is my force diagram

I'm trying to figure out how to tell when the friction force has decreased enough for the object to move.

 

[stewartcs]

Like DocAl said, you'll have to estimate the coefficient of static friction since it was not given.

Here are some typical values:

http://www.engineershandbook.com/Tables/frictioncoefficients.htm

Then you can use the length of the board to find the height required to get the object to slide. This experiment involves some assumptions so it's probably the concept that they want you to learn and not an exact value for height. That is to say that they want you to realize that the mass of the object is not related to the coefficient of friction.

 

[mrkrupa]

so how would i use the coefficient of friction to figure out the height?

 

[stewartcs]

Hint: Coefficient of static friction = tan(x)

where,

x = the angle of the incline relative to the x axis.

 

[mrkrupa]

ok, i get that now. But is there a formula to determine when the static friction will become kinetic friciton? or is that the level at which the friction turns into kinetic?

 

[stewartcs]

ok, i get that now. But is there a formula to determine when the static friction will become kinetic friciton?

The frictional force becomes "kinetic" at the moment it overcomes the "static" frictional force (i.e. when it starts to slide).

 

[mrkrupa]

ok, i'll try to work it all out

 

[mrkrupa]

Is this where x is for Tan(x)?

 

[mrkrupa]

now I am all confused... Do I need to estimate a height, use that to get the angle from my attachment above, then take that angle put it into tan(x) to get the coefficent?

 

[mrkrupa]

I have guessed a height of 30 cm. That gives x an angle of 19.27 degress

And I have calculated that at 19.27 degrees, the force of friction would be 2.55N. Also, the natural force would be 6.86N. Now, I am stuck on how to figure what the coefficient of static friction would be to see if at this angle, the object would overcome the friction and move.

 

[stewartcs]

Is this where x is for Tan(x)?

View attachment 11968

Yes, that is the angle x.

 

[soggy9]

what is the object that is on the board? without that, i don't think u can determine the coefficient of friction. if we know what it is, we could make a reasonable guess as to the surface it has, and how that surface will interact with the surface of the board of wood, idk if this'll help u but I am doing physics homework right now and i loked up the coefficient of friction for wood on wood:

coefficient for static friction = .58

coefficient for kinetic friction = .4

hope that helps :s

 

[stewartcs]

now I am all confused... Do I need to estimate a height, use that to get the angle from my attachment above, then take that angle put it into tan(x) to get the coefficent?

No, you are estimating the coefficient of friction (LHS of the equation I gave you the hint about).

So...if mu = coef. of friction and x is the angle as shown in your diagram then...

mu = tan(x)

Using one of the estimated values from the link (say wood and brick) we have

mu = 0.6

So the arctangent of 0.6 is about 30.96 degrees which equals x.

 

[stewartcs]

Since you know x now, you can use some basic trig to find the height.

 

[mrkrupa]

oh, ok

 

[mrkrupa]

I got the angle of x to be 26.57 degrees, and then the height to be 41.18cm.

Thank you for the help

 

[mrkrupa]

one more thing, is there a unit for the .5?

 

[stewartcs]

one more thing, is there a unit for the .5?

If 0.5 is the coef. of friction then the answer is no.

It is a ratio, thus has no units.

 

[mrkrupa]

ok, thank you