You are on page 1of 2

PhysicsStackExchangeisaquestionandanswersiteforactiveresearchers,academicsandstudentsofphysics.

It's
100%free,noregistrationrequired.

login

Thisquestionalreadyhasananswerhere:
Doesacarusefrictiontomove? 4answers
Belowistheextractfrommybook.
Thereisacarwithfourwheeldrivesystemandduringacceleration,theenginecausesthetirestopushbackwardontheroadsurface.This
pushproducesfrictionalforcesf thatactoneachtireintheforwarddirection.ThenetexternalforceF fromtheroad,whichisthesumof
thesefrictionalforcesacceleratesthecar,increasingitskineticenergy.
Heretheauthorsaysfrictionalforceproduceacceleration.Howcanafrictionalforceproduceaccelerationinthecar?
TheonlypossibleexplanationIcanthinkthatcausethecartomovesforwardinthiscaseiswhenthetirepushestheroadinbackwarddirection
andthefrictionforceisthereactionforceactingasmentionedinNewton'sThirdlaw.
forces energy energyconservation friction

editedJan8at7:35
user36790
2,349
1 12

41

askedJan7at23:48
pcforgeek
535
2 11

markedasduplicatebyDavidHammen,KyleKanos ,ACuriousMind,BMS,JohnRennieJan8at
7:21
Thisquestionhasbeenaskedbeforeandalreadyhasananswer.Ifthoseanswersdonotfullyaddress
yourquestion,pleaseaskanewquestion.
1 possibleduplicateofDoesacarusefrictiontomove?DavidHammenJan7at23:57

@DavidHammenThatquestionyoumentioneddoesn'ttellaboutthefrictionalforceactinginforwarddirection.
pcforgeek Jan8at0:16

Haveyoudrawnafreebodydiagram?KyleKanosJan8at0:27

@KyleKanosNo,butinthebook,diagramofcarwithfrictionforcepointinginforwarddirectionofcarisgiven.
pcforgeek Jan8at0:32

Canyoureproduceithere?Isitanydifferentfromthe2ndanswerintheproposedduplicate?KyleKanosJan8
at0:52

2Answers
Heretheauthorsaysfrictionalforceproduceacceleration.Howcanafrictionalforceproduce
accelerationinthecar?
Ithinkthatasthecarmovesforwardthetirepushestheroadinbackwarddirectionandthe
frictionforceisthereactionforceactingasmentionedinNewton'sThirdlaw.
Youphrasethisinawaythatyouthinkitisoneortheother.Cantheynotbothbetrue
simultaneously?
Imagineapuckonafrictionlesssurfacewithacompressedspringagainstawall.Asthespring
expands,thepuckacceleratesaway.Theforceofthespringonthewallandtheforceofthewallon
thespringareapairofaction/reactionforces.
Sotheforcefromthewallontothespringissimultaneouslyareactionforceandisthenetforceon
thepuckthatiscausingacceleration.
answeredJan8at0:53
BowlOfRed
4,122
1

16

ThesecondpartistheonlypossibleexplanationIcanthinkofthatcancauseaccelerationinthiscase.Iwilledititto
makeitclearforothers. pcforgeek Jan8at1:10

tour

help

Takethe2minutetour

Howdoesfrictionhelpthecartomoveforward?[duplicate]

newtonianmechanics

signup

Whenyourcarsitsatatrafficlightandyourevtheengine,thenspeedawaywithtiresscreaming
youcreatealotoffrictionbetweenwheelsandroad,andtheresultisforwardmotion.
Soyesyourhunchwasright:
TheonlypossibleexplanationIcanthinkthatcausethecartomovesforwardinthiscaseis
whenthetirepushestheroadinbackwarddirectionandthefrictionforceisthereactionforce
actingasmentionedinNewton'sThirdlaw.
answeredJan8at7:00
Floris
38.7k
3 71

124

You might also like