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krackers
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Homework Statement
If you push a chair across a carpet at a constant velocity of 0.5 m/s, how does the force you are exerting on that chair compare with the force the force of friction? If you increase the force you are exerting, how does the new frictional force compare with the previous frictional force?
2. The attempt at a solution
Part I. Since there is a constant velocity there should be no acceleration. This means that the net force must be 0. Since there is clearly force applied in one direction, the frictional force oppose the applied force equally, so the frictional force is to the force that you apply to the chair.
Part 2. However, let's say you increase the force applied. Since the coefficient of kinetic friction is a constant, and since you were previously providing just enough force to balance the kinetic frictional force, and the force applied will be greater than the kinetic frictional force. Thus, due to the net force, the object will accelerate.
Is my reasoning correct?