Friction coefficient and critical angle

[superdave]

I stumbled across this while doing some problems, and wanted to make sure it's true. My teacher isn't great. Physics isn't her specialty, but that's what you get at community college.

Anyways, while trying to find the critical angle at which an object will start to move, I realized that it actually works out to be tan(theta)=mu static. Is this right?

 

[vaishakh]

Yes. But you also have to clear with respect to what you are measuring theta - vertical or horizontal?
Don't bother your teacher. She might not have time. But you should not feel or say something bad about someone who teaches you - atleast publicly.

 

[superdave]

I like my teacher. She's nice, and she knows her stuff. But she's not a great teacher. Knowing the subject, and teaching the subject, are two completely different things. I pick up things quick, but I usually have to explain it all to people after class or in lab, because they didn't understand it during lecture.

 

[ovoleg]

I like my teacher. She's nice, and she knows her stuff. But she's not a great teacher. Knowing the subject, and teaching the subject, are two completely different things. I pick up things quick, but I usually have to explain it all to people after class or in lab, because they didn't understand it during lecture.

I want to guess Dr. Wessling?