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If you’ve ever climbed a rock face, you know that gravity is always dragging you downhill while you use your power to pull yourself higher. Another force, however, assists you while climbing by keeping your feet and hands from slipping. This is called friction.
The brakes on our automobiles are another fantastic example of friction. When we use our brakes to come to a halt, friction causes the automobile to slow down. Friction may be defined as a force that resists the movement of a solid item over another solid object. It is resistant to the motion of solid objects and fluid layers sliding against one other. Friction can be classified into four types: static, sliding, rolling, and fluid.
Static Friction
It has an effect on things that are lying on a surface. When you hike in the woods, for example, there is static friction between your shoes and the trail every time you put your foot down. Your feet would slip out from beneath you if there was no static friction, making it impossible to walk. That’s exactly what happens when you try to walk on ice. This is due to the fact that ice is extremely slippery and provides very little friction.
Example
Stone on Ground
A stone laying on the ground will not move until it is moved upon by some force. Even the tiniest breeze will not be able to move it. It’s caused by static friction with the ground. Even if the stone is on a slope, static friction will keep it in place. The amount of static friction depends on the mass of the item. The heavier the stone, the more difficult it will be to move it.
Sliding Friction
Sliding friction is the friction that things experience as they slide across a surface. Sliding friction is less effective than static friction. That’s why it’s simpler to move a piece of furniture across the floor once it’s started moving than it is to start it going in the first place. Sliding friction can be advantageous. When you write with a pencil, for example, you employ sliding friction. The pencil “lead” glides effortlessly across the paper, yet there is just enough friction between the pencil and the paper to create a trace.
Example
Hands Rubbing
Sliding friction is demonstrated by rubbing hands. When the hands brush against one other, a force opposing the hand motion is activated. The frictional force is the force that resists motion in the direction opposite to the motion of the hands and is responsible for the generation of heat energy.
Fluid Friction
When you hear the term fluid friction, you might think of friction in water. Fluid friction, on the other hand, isn’t only water or what you may consider “fluid,” such as coffee or tea. Fluid refers to anything that does not have a distinct form, such as gas or liquid. Fluid friction affects gases and honey, for example.
Now that the fluid has been cleaned up, let’s look at fluid friction. Fluid friction is the resistance that occurs when something attempts to move on or through a gas or liquid. There are two kinds of friction: exterior and internal friction.
When a solid travels through it, the friction force is called external friction.
Internal friction is the friction between the molecules of a fluid.
Example
- Water on super hydrophobic surfaces
Superhydrophobic surfaces reject water very well. As a result, the fluid friction of aqueous solutions on such surfaces will be very low.
- Sucking Fluid using straw
Fluid friction generates some resistance while sucking fluids via a straw. As a result, drinking thick fluids with a straw is more challenging than drinking thin fluids.
Rolling Friction
The force that slows down rolling balls or wheels is known as rolling friction, also known as rolling resistance. To be more specific, it slows their movement. Surprisingly, rolling friction is also the cause of things moving in a rolling motion in the first place. When we apply a force to a stationary wheel, minor static friction prevents it from initiating its rolling motion.
The resistance from rolling friction is what causes the wheel to move in the first place. However, once the wheel begins rolling, it will begin to obstruct and impede its speed. We require the presence of another force to keep the thing going.
Example
- Thick Tyre
Thicker bike wheels reduce the maximum speed of the bike since there is more surface area to produce friction against the road or path, slowing the bike.
- Truck Tires
Heavy-duty vehicles receive better gas efficiency when the tread on their tyres wears down because there is less rolling friction, allowing the truck to drive faster and with less resistance.
Conclusion
Friction is the resistance of solid objects and fluid layers moving against one another. The amount of static friction depends on the mass of the item. Sliding friction is the friction that things experience as they slide across a surface. Fluid friction is the resistance that occurs when something attempts to move on or through a gas or liquid. When a solid travels through it, the friction force is called external friction. Internal friction is the friction between the molecules of a fluid. The resistance from rolling friction is what causes the wheel to move in the first place.
