What are the minimum force values needed to hold an object without it falling?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the minimum force values required to hold a marble without it falling, considering factors such as mass, friction, and the forces involved in a grasping scenario. The scope includes theoretical reasoning and mathematical modeling related to forces and friction.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents a scenario involving a marble being held between fingers and seeks to determine the necessary forces to prevent it from falling.
  • Another participant suggests starting with a free body diagram and notes the importance of knowing the friction coefficient to solve the problem.
  • A different participant mentions a specific friction coefficient of 0.05 and calculates the force required to hold a marble of mass 0.003 kg, arriving at a value of 0.588 N.
  • Another contribution discusses the relationship between frictional force and normal force, questioning how friction might be distributed between two contact points and whether it is independent of surface area.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion contains multiple viewpoints regarding the calculations and assumptions about friction, with no consensus reached on the distribution of forces or the exact values needed.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the role of friction in the scenario, particularly regarding how forces are distributed between contact points and the implications of surface area on frictional force.

joedwagner
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This is a problem I came up without of curiosity but can't solve.. The image shows a situation similar to a thumb an index finger grasping a marble. Probably obvious to figure out, but I can't, so I'll ask. What are the minimum force values F1 and F2 necessary to keep the marble from falling if mass is known?
 

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Start by drawing a correct free body diagram.:wink:
edit: Actually you still need a friction coefficient in order to solve it.
 
Found a link saying the coefficient of friction is .05

So if the mass is M, the force of gravity on it would be mg, the force of friction must equal this so it would require a force of mg/.05 so for a marble weight .003kg, it would be .588N
 
Force of friction is [itex]\mu N[/itex] where [itex]N[/itex] is the normal force. Since we also know that this needs to be [itex]\geq Mg[/itex] you can solve :)
As a side note I've included two frictional forces since there's no reason to assume one side is preferable to another and I know from experience there is no net torque, however if friction is independent of surface area would the force be distributed between the two contact points? In other words would each frictional force be half what I've written? It seems like it should be but how could each side "know" that the other side had some frictional force? Then again I guess it might have to since the same argument must be wrong when applied to any single atom "knowing" about the friction on any other atom with a block sliding down an incline.
I'll change the value back but leave this here as kind of an interest thing I guess. :)
 

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