Investigating What Factors Affect Friction
Friction is a stopping power. The scientific definition of friction
is:
Friction is a force, which opposes the direction of a movement of an
object… and acts when an object moves through a medium e.g. water, air
or when surfaces slide past each other.
EXAMPLES OF HOW FRICTION WORKS
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When a motor vehicle is moving at a steady speed, the frictional
forces exactly balance the driving force. However, friction causes
objects to HEAT UP and WEAR AWAY at their surfaces. Oil is required
where surfaces move against one another
Friction is also useful in many ways.
* Between a vehicle tyre and the road surface
* Between brake pads and brake discs
If the braking force applied is great, the friction between the tyres
and the road may not be great enough to prevent skidding.
The factors that can be changed (the variables) are the following:
* Weight
* Type of surface
* Speed
* Surface area
* Lubrication
REMEMBER: IF THERE IS MORE FRICTION YOU WILL NEED MORE FORCE TO MOVE
THE OBJECT.
Now I will describe how each factor affects friction.
SPEED
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[IMAGE][IMAGE]SLOW BIGGER GRIP BIGGER FRICTION
[IMAGE][IMAGE]FAST SMALLER GRIP SMALLER FRICTION
If the car speed is slow, there will be a bigger grip between the tyre
and road. This will result in a bigger friction between the two
objects.
If the car speed is fast, there will be a smaller grip between the
tyre and road. This will result in a smaller friction between the two
objects.
Therefore we say that the speed is inversely proportional to the
friction.
[IMAGE]
LUBRICATION
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[IMAGE][IMAGE]OIL LESS GRIP LESS FRICTION