PHY 201: General Physics I Lab page 1 of 6 PCC-Cascade Experiment: Static and Kinetic Friction OBJECTIVES • Use a Force Sensor to measure the force of static friction. • Determine the relationship between force of static friction and the weight of an object. • Measure the coefficients of static and kinetic friction for a particular block and track. • Use a Smart Pulley to independently determine the coefficient of kinetic friction for the same block and track • Determine if the coefficient of kinetic friction depends on weight. INTRODUCTION If you try to slide a heavy box resting on the floor, you may find it difficult to get the box moving. Static friction is the force that is acting against the box. If you apply a light horizontal push that does not move the box, the static friction force is also small and directly opposite to your push. If you push harder, the friction force increases to match the magnitude of your push. There is a limit to the magnitude of static friction, so eventually you may be able to apply a force larger than the maximum static force, and the box will move. The maximum static friction force is sometimes referred to as starting friction. We model static friction, fstatic, with the inequality fstatic ≤ µsFN where µs is the coefficient of static friction and FN the normal force exerted by a surface on the object. The normal force is defined as the perpendicular component of the force exerted by the surface. In this case, the normal force is equal to the weight of the object. Once the box starts to slide, you must continue to exert a force to keep the object moving, or friction will slow it to a stop. The friction acting on the box while it is moving is called kinetic friction. In order to slide the box with a constant velocity, a force equivalent to the force of kinetic friction must be applied. Kinetic friction is sometimes referred to as sliding friction. Both static and kinetic friction depend on the surfaces of the box and the floor, and on how hard the box and floor are pressed together. We model kinetic friction with fkinetic = µkFN, where µk is the coefficient of kinetic friction. In this experiment, you will use a Force Sensor to study static friction and kinetic friction on a wooden block. A Smart Pulley will also be used to analyze the kinetic friction acting on a sliding block, by measuring the acceleration. MATERIALS • Windows PC • Photogate • LabPro Interface • Force Sensor • Logger Pro Software • block of wood with hook • string • gram scale • Graphical Analysis Software • mass set • Smart PulleyPHY 201: General Physics I Lab page 2 of 6 PCC-Cascade PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS 1. An applied force pushes against a 40 kg box resting on a flat horizontal floor surface. When the magnitude of the force just exceeds 100 N its “grip” to the floor is broken and the box begins to move forward. Once the box is in motion, it travels at a constant velocity when the applied force is maintained at 45 N. a. Sketch a free body diagram for the resting box just before it begins to move. b. Apply Newton’s 2nd Law to the box in (a) to express the equation for net force in component form, including all of the individual forces present. c. What is the magnitude of the (static) frictional force exerted on the box just before it begins to move? d. Calculate the ratio of the (static) frictional force in (c) to the normal force. This value is referred to as the coefficient of static friction or maxsµ. e. Apply Newton’s 2nd Law to the box to write out the equation for net force exerted on the box in component form, including all of the individual forces present. f. What is the corresponding ratio of friction force to normal force exerted for the box in (e), i.e. the coefficient of kinetic friction, kµ, between the box and floor? PROCEDURE Part I Starting Friction 1. Measure the mass of the block and record it in the data table. 2. Connect the Force Sensor to the Channel 1 input of the LabPro Interface. Set the range switch on the Force Sensor to 50 N. 3. Open “12a Static Kinetic Friction” in the Physics with Vernier folder. 4. Tie one end of a string to the hook on the Force Sensor and the other end to the hook on the wooden block then place 1 kg on top of the block. Be sure the mass is fastened so they cannot shift. 5. Practice pulling the block and masses with the Force Sensor using this straight-line motion. Slowly and gently pull horizontally with a small force. Very gradually, takingPHY 201: General Physics I Lab page 3 of 6 PCC-Cascade one full second, increase the force until the block starts to slide, and then keep the block moving at a constant speed for another second. 6. Sketch a graph of force vs. time for the force you felt on your hand in step 5. Label the portion of the graph corresponding to the block at rest, the time when the block just started to move, and the time when the block was moving at constant speed. 7. Hold the Force Sensor in position, ready to pull the block, but with no tension in the string then zero the Force Sensor. 8. Begin data collection. Pull the block as before, taking care to increase the force gradually. Repeat the process as needed until you have a graph that reflects the desired motion, including pulling the block at constant speed once it begins moving. Copy-and-Paste the graph into a Word document and print it for later reference. 9. Choose Store Latest Run from the Experiment Menu to store the run as Run 1 for later analysis. Part II: Peak Static Friction and Kinetic Friction In this section, you will measure the peak static friction force and the kinetic friction force as a function of the normal force on the block. In each run, you will pull the block as before, but by changing the masses on the block, you will vary the normal force on the block. Wooden blockPullMass Figure 1 1. Remove all masses from the block. 2. Begin data collection and pull as before to gather force vs. time data. 3. Examine the data using the Statistics button, . The maximum value of the force occurs when the block started to slide. Read this value of the maximum force of static friction from the floating box and record the number in your data table. 4. Drag across the region of the graph corresponding to the block moving at constant velocity. Click on the Statistics button again and read the average force during the time interval. This force