Kinetic friction direction on two stacked blocks

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the direction of kinetic friction between two stacked blocks when a force is applied to the lower block. It is established that if the lower block accelerates to the right, the upper block will experience kinetic friction acting to the right, opposing its relative motion to the lower block. The confusion arises from the perspective of motion; while the upper block moves left relative to the lower block, it accelerates right overall due to the frictional force. The key takeaway is that friction opposes slipping between surfaces, and the normal forces acting on each block differ based on their interactions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Newton's laws of motion
  • Familiarity with kinetic friction and its properties
  • Knowledge of free body diagrams and their construction
  • Basic concepts of acceleration and relative motion
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the principles of kinetic friction in multi-body systems
  • Learn how to construct and analyze free body diagrams for complex interactions
  • Explore Newton's third law and its implications in frictional forces
  • Investigate the effects of different surface materials on friction coefficients
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Physics students, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of friction in stacked systems will benefit from this discussion.

SakuRERE
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If i have two blocks on top of each other and there is friction between the two blocks and it's a kinetic friction ( given μk). if i was given the force applied on the lower block to the right direction for example. ignoring the friction between the lower block and the ground, i tried to draw the Free body diagram for both blocks and i got somehow confused with choosing the right direction of the Fk (Kinetic friction) for the upper block.

this is how I thought about it:
first, I know that the friction basically is opposite to the direction of movement. so since the upper block will move to the left (with respect to lower block) that the kinetic friction will be directed to the right. but i thought this one is not right because what force other than fk will make the block move to left ( i should have a force to the left so it moves to left) so I came to say it should be to the left. but then how come the friction be parallel to the direction of motion when it should be opposite?

so I concluded that what happens actually and realistically is that the upper block will move to the right and the force responsible of this is the kinetic friction itself, but if we see it with respect to lower block so it is moving to left and friction is opposite so it's to right!

does that mean that friction is defined opposite to the motion with respect to the lower block only! i am confused and can't decide the right way to think about it
 
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SakuRERE said:
first, I know that the friction basically is opposite to the direction of movement.
That's what's messing you up. Better to think of friction as opposing slipping between surfaces.

If the bottom block accelerates to the right, friction will drag the top block along. If the blocks slip with respect to each other, then kinetic friction acts. Note that with respect to the bottom block, the top block slips to the left thus friction will act toward the right. The bottom block exerts a friction force on the top block that acts to the right and, per Newton's 3rd law, the top block exerts an equal and opposite friction force on the bottom block that acts to the left.
 
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Also, the top block accelerates to the right. It only moves to the left relative to the bottom block. I.e. it has a lower acceleration to the right than the lower block. But the acceleration is to the right.
 
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Doc Al said:
That's what's messing you up. Better to think of friction as opposing slipping between surfaces.

If the bottom block accelerates to the right, friction will drag the top block along. If the blocks slip with respect to each other, then kinetic friction acts. Note that with respect to the bottom block, the top block slips to the left thus friction will act toward the right. The bottom block exerts a friction force on the top block that acts to the right and, per Newton's 3rd law, the top block exerts an equal and opposite friction force on the bottom block that acts to the left.

Great i got it! thanks!
just to be sure can you please tell me if this Free body diagram is correct or not incase the upper block is the one being pulled by the force not the lower block. so i make sure i am understanding it right ! please check the attachment and forgive me for my bad drawing!
upload_2018-10-5_21-10-1.png
 

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OK, not bad.

As long as you realize, as I'm sure you do, that the normal forces are different.

On block A, block B exerts an upward normal force that happens to equal ##m_Ag##.

On block B, two normal forces act: A downward normal force from block A that equals ##m_Ag##, and an upward normal force from the table that equals ##m_Ag + m_Bg##.
 
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Doc Al said:
On block B, two normal forces act: A downward normal force from block A that equals mAgmAgm_Ag, and an upward normal force from the table that equals mAg+mBgmAg+mBgm_Ag + m_Bg.
Yeah, i Know that but I found it somehow hard to write with the painter :) ( you can see how I am struggling to write the letters ^_^) Anyways thanks a lot, I must have pointed the difference in fn to avoid any confusions for other readers! Appreciate your quick Help.
 

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