Mass vs. compression with rollers

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter D9 XTC
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Compression Mass
Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
1 reply · 2K views
D9 XTC
Messages
30
Reaction score
0
Let's say the is a piece of wood with a few legs supporting it. There is a weight on it that weighs 500 lbs on the wood with rollers under it so it can move. Next to that is a clamp, let's say weighing 50 lbs, clamped onto the wood that is exerting the same amount of pressure onto the wood as the weight. The clamp also has rollers (weird yes...). The rollers on both produce the same amount of friction.

My question: does the clamp take less force to move having less mass yet exerting the same amount of pressure?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Yes, the less massive object, the clamp, takes less work to move than the other object.