Tuesday, 7 June 2011

Friction

These are the 4 types of friction:
1. Static
2. Sliding
3. Rolling
4. Fluid
Static
  • It is friction that acts on something that is not moving
  • Eg: A piano is held in place by static friction
  • Static friction keeps you in your seat
  • No heat or wear is generated
Sliding
  • It is a force resulting when pushing or pulling an object over a surface
  • Eg: Pushing a box across the floor
  • Heat and wear can result
Rolling
  • Contact is reduced because of rollers or wheels or ball bearings
  • Eg: Skate boards have ball bearings in the wheels
  • Eg: A cart has wheels
  • Less heat and wear will result in comparison with sliding.
Fluid
  • Resistance from a liquid or air
  • Eg: Stirring a thick batter
  • Eg: Walking through water
  • Eg: Olympic bike riders
Reducing friction
A smooth surface does demonstrate as much friction as a rough surface.
A lubricant can be used to reduce friction.

1 comment:

  1. Audrey, that's a good description for the different types of friction, and your research has moved the team's understanding forward. To move beyond the cut-and-pasted info, which form of friction are you measuring?

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