What is Force of Friction?
A Force of friction is a type of contact force. It is the resistance to movement that occurs when two objects are in contact. Its direction is opposite to the direction of the motion.
Examples of Force of Friction
Rolling ball
When a ball is rolled on a horizontal plane surface, it gradually slows down and eventually comes to a halt. This is because of the force of friction, which is the force applied to the ball by the surface.
Walking
When we walk forward, we push the ground with our foot in a backward direction. In return, the ground exerts a force in the forward direction, which moves us forward. The force that the ground exerts is nothing but the force of friction.
Rowing
If we stop rowing a moving boat in a lake, it eventually stops after some time. It stops because of the force of friction between the water and surface of the boat which is in contact with the water.
Thus, the force of friction is a contact force, and the above examples are the different contact force types.
In the first example, the ball was in contact with the surface.
In the second example, the foot was in contact with the ground.
In the last example, the boat was in contact with the surface of the water.
Summary
| Force of Friction | A type of contact force
The direction of this force is opposite to that of the motion |
Did you know?
Lubricants can be used to reduce the friction between two surfaces.
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