Friction

What is the first thing you do when you notice you’re getting a chill? You could wrap yourself in a warm blanket or rub your hands together to make yourself feel more comfortable. Now, the question is, why is this happening? What causes our hands to become warm when we rub them against one another? Well, friction is created by rubbing our hands together, which results in the generation of heat. This gives us a warm feeling. So, what exactly is “Friction”? What is the justification for this?

What exactly is friction?

The term “friction” refers to a force that resists the motion of an object sliding or rolling relative to another. It occurs as a result of the electromagnetic attraction between charged particles on two surfaces that are in close proximity to one another. When objects come into contact with one another, we can find and use it almost anywhere and at any time of day. Despite the fact that it always acts in the opposite direction of the direction in which an object wishes to slide.

For example, we use car brakes when we want to come to a complete stop or slow down because the friction created between the brakes and the wheels causes the car to slow down or stop.

Friction is influenced by a number of factors

The force of friction can change depending on the factors that influence it, including but not limited to:

• A small amount of friction exists between two smooth surfaces when they come into contact because the interlocking between smooth surfaces is minimal.
• In the case of two rough surfaces coming into contact with each other, the degree of friction between them is high due to the excessive interlocking between the rough surfaces.
• It is also dependent on the weight of the object or the amount of force that the object applies to the surface of the water.
• Therefore, friction is dependent upon the smoothness of the surface and the weight of the object that is being considered. 

What is the source of friction?

Friction is caused by irregularities on the surfaces that come into contact with one another. In this way, when one object moves over another, the irregularities on the surface become entangled, resulting in the generation of friction. The greater the roughness, the greater the number of irregularities, and the greater the significance of the friction.

Different types of Friction

Rolling Friction

When an object rolls on a surface, it is the force that prevents the object from moving. Because when a body rolls perfectly on a surface, such as a sheet of paper, there is no sliding friction between the object and the surface, it is technically not friction, but rather ‘rolling resistance’. Due to the elastic properties of the real world, both the bodies and the surface are subjected to deformations as a result of contact between the bodies in practice. Because the surface of contact is so small in real life, the net normal force is also small, and it is not sufficient to prevent a body from sliding and keep it stationary, as is the case with static friction. Because static friction increases with the increase in external force, rolling friction is typically less than static friction.

Static Friction

Static friction is the frictional force that exists between the surfaces of two substances when they are not in motion with respect to one other, or the force that keeps an item at rest. To put it another way, static friction is defined as follows:

When people attempt to move a stationary object on a surface without actually producing any relative motion between their bodies and the surface they are on, static friction occurs.

It’s the frictional force that keeps the applied force balanced for the duration of the body’s stationary state. Since the static frictional force is self-regulating, it will always be equal to and oppose the applied force.

Sliding Friction

When two surfaces rub against each other, the frictional force between them is called a frictional force. It’s a very simple and widely used concept. Real-world surfaces are rarely perfectly smooth, so when an object slides on any surface, it is subjected to a backward force as a result of the relative motion between the two adjacent surfaces that it encounters. It always acts in opposition to the motion. Whenever an object is in a static state, the applied force that attempts to slide the object is always equal to the force of friction acting on the object. At some point, the object begins to move in the direction of the external force. This is known as the transition point. When we gradually increase the applied force, this is what happens. There is no change in the amount of frictional force acting against the motion.

Fluid Friction

When fluid layers are moving in relation to one another, a type of friction known as ‘fluid friction’ occurs between them. Internal resistance to the flow of fluids is known as ‘viscosity,’ and it can be thought of as nothing more than the “thickness” of a fluid in a simplified sense.

Effects of Friction

• It generates heat that can be used to heat various parts of an object or to keep ourselves warm.
• It also results in a loss of power.
• During any type of operation, it generates a lot of noise.
• It is only through friction that we are able to walk, run, play, and so on.

Friction has a variety of applications

• When a matchstick is ignited, friction is put to use in a practical way.
• The movement of pistons within a cylinder is caused by the application of friction.
• Because there is friction between the pen and the board, it is possible to write on both books and board.

Conclusion

Friction is defined as the resistance provided by the surfaces that are in contact when they move past each other in the same direction. As far as we can tell, friction is a necessary evil in our daily lives. When walking, friction provides the traction that is required to avoid slipping. In the majority of cases, friction is beneficial. They do, however, provide a significant amount of opposition to the motion as well.