Need help in understanding friction

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    Friction
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of friction, particularly static and kinetic friction, and how these forces interact when an object is pushed and subsequently released. Participants explore the behavior of friction in relation to applied forces, motion, and the principles of Newton's laws.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants describe how static friction matches the applied force until it reaches a maximum value, after which the object begins to move with kinetic friction taking over.
  • There are questions about whether friction decreases the velocity of an object to the point of moving it backward, with some asserting that friction is always a resisting force.
  • Participants discuss the nature of kinetic friction, noting that it acts to decelerate a moving object and does not spontaneously increase its speed.
  • One participant suggests a scenario involving pushing an object with a force greater than twice the maximum static friction, questioning the resulting motion and frictional forces.
  • Another participant emphasizes that Newton's third law does not imply that the net external force on an object is always zero, clarifying the relationship between applied forces and frictional forces.
  • There is a discussion about how the maximum friction force depends on the roughness of the surfaces in contact.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of friction and its effects on motion, particularly regarding the relationship between applied forces and frictional forces. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives on these concepts.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference Newton's laws and the definitions of static and kinetic friction, but there are unresolved assumptions about the conditions under which these forces operate and their maximum values.

Clockclocle
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When we push an object on the surface, if I push hard enough such that it reach the maxium static friction of the object then it start moving with a constant speed and F_push = F_friction. But when I realease the object F_push immediately become zero remain only F_friction. Does the friction get smaller to static friction when the object velocity become 0 and stop moving? Why it getting smaller?, it don't behave like f_push while f_push is executed immediately after I release the object. Is there a case where the friction decrease the velocity of the object and make it moving backward?
 
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Clockclocle said:
Is there a case where the friction decrease the velocity of the object and make it moving backward?
No, because friction is a resisting force and there is friction in both directions!
 
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Clockclocle said:
When we push an object on the surface, if I push hard enough such that it reach the maxium static friction of the object then it start moving with a constant speed and F_push = F_friction. But when I realease the object F_push immediately become zero remain only F_friction.
The magnitude and direction of the force of static friction are a reaction to (both of them mirror) the magnitude and direction of your pushing force, according one of Newton's laws of motion.

Please, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton's_laws_of_motion#Third

In the case of friction (always a reaction), the static type can be forced to grow from zero to a maximum value (μN).
If the reactive friction is forced to grow above that limit value, movement begins to occur (reason to be called kinetic).
 
Be aware that the massive block, when in motion with some velocity, will not stop instantly when the pushing force is removed. The will be a finite interval where the friction forces (we then call it kinetic friction) will decelerate the block until its velocity is zero.
(Kinetic friction)≤(static friction) and so once in motion the block will usually continue for a little distance. The nature of kinetic friction, because it involves complicated motions of many particles, is usually to take away energy from the objects involved. By itself, it will not spontaneously speed up the block.
 
PeroK said:
No, because friction is a resisting force and there is friction in both directions!

hutchphd said:
Be aware that the massive block, when in motion with some velocity, will not stop instantly when the pushing force is removed. The will be a finite interval where the friction forces (we then call it kinetic friction) will decelerate the block until its velocity is zero.
(Kinetic friction)≤(static friction) and so once in motion the block will usually continue for a little distance. The nature of kinetic friction, because it involves complicated motions of many particles, is usually to take away energy from the objects involved. By itself, it will not spontaneously speed up the block.
According to you, If I hold and push the block with force F>2f (f = max static friction)then the object start accelerating? If F<=2f it move with constant velocity? and friction have maximum = 2f ?
 
Clockclocle said:
According to you, If I hold and push the block with force F>2f (f = max static friction)then the object start accelerating? If F<=2f it move with constant velocity? and friction have maximum = 2f ?
That makes no sense and is not what was said.

Read these : static friction, and kinetic friction.
 
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hmmm27 said:
That makes no sense and is not what was said.

Read these : static friction, and kinetic friction.
so why the object accelerate ? whenver I exert harder force then also friction cause third law of Newton. The net force always zero
 
Clockclocle said:
so why the object accelerate ? whenver I exert harder force then also friction cause third law of Newton. The net force always zero
Well, I guess that's the end of physics then!
 
Clockclocle said:
so why the object accelerate ? whenver I exert harder force then also friction cause third law of Newton. The net force always zero
To give you an answer. Newton's third law does not say that if you apply an external force ##F## on an object, then something else applies an equal and opposite external force on the same object and so the net external force on any object is always zero.

That's not what it's saying. That's absurd.

Newton's law says that if you apply an external force ##F## on an object, then it applies an external force ##F## on you (in the opposite direction).

If there is a friction force, then there is no law that says the fiction force is equal and opposite to the external force applied. Instead, the friction force has a maximum possible value. If an external force greater than that maximum is applied, then the object will move under the net force:
$$F_{net} = F_{applied} - F_{max friction}$$
If the friction is between the object and a table, say, then Newton's thid law says that the object exerts a force on the table of ##F_{max friction}## in the opposite direction.
 
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  • #10
PeroK said:
To give you an answer. Newton's third law does not say that if you apply an external force ##F## on an object, then something else applies an equal and opposite external force on the same object and so the net external force on any object is always zero.

That's not what it's saying. That's absurd.

Newton's law says that if you apply an external force ##F## on an object, then it applies an external force ##F## on you (in the opposite direction).

If there is a friction force, then there is no law that says the fiction force is equal and opposite to the external force applied. Instead, the friction force has a maximum possible value. If an external force greater than that maximum is applied, then the object will move under the net force:
$$F_{net} = F_{applied} - F_{max friction}$$
If the friction is between the object and a table, say, then Newton's thid law says that the object exerts a force on the table of ##F_{max friction}## in the opposite direction.
Since the friction is applied from surface to object while object moving,it has its maximum depend on what kind of surface?
 
  • #11
Clockclocle said:
Since the friction is applied from surface to object while object moving,it has its maximum depend on what kind of surface?
The maximum friction force depends on the roughness of the surfaces.
 

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