Friction Lab (Coefficients of Friction)

Drew Bankovich
Braden Paulinellie
Brendon Foley

Purpose/Objective
 The purpose and objective for this lab is to determine the effect of different
surfaces, surface areas, and mass have on the force of friction and coefficients of
friction. Also we would like to accel in our skills of calculating the coefficients of friction
and friction equations.

Background Info
For this lab, we will apply all that we have learned this year including, but not
limited to, Newton's laws of physics, friction laws and equations, and force laws and
equations. Newton's laws say that one, an object in motion or at rest stays in motion or
at rest unless acted upon by a force, two, acceleration is indirectly proportional to the
net force and indirectly proportional to mass (Fnet = ma or a = Fnet/m) and three, for
every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The force of friction laws and
equations say that mu is equal to the normal force divided by the force of friction, or that
friction is equal to mu times the normal force. The force laws and equations tell us that
at a constant speed the applied force is equal to the force of friction, and the force of
gravity is equal to the normal force. All of this information will be used to calculate mu
and/or used throughout the experiments and equations.

Equipment
Spring scale
Fiber board
Wooden board
Friction block (wooden block with sandpaper on one side)
Sandpaper
3 200g weights

Set-Up
Procedure
This lab will apply many different physics methods which we have learned over
the year. The key methods used in this lab are Newton's laws of physics, force laws and
equations, friction laws and equations, and mu calculations. From this lab we should tie
in almost everything that we have learned this year and be able to apply it to the lab.
For the control trial pull the friction block along the fiber board at a constant
speed using a spring scale. For the variations in surface area from the control rotate the
block on its different sides and redo the trial. For the variations in surface type from the
control, move the block to different surfaces, Fiberboard, Wood, and Sandpaper, using
both sides of the friction block, sandpaper side and plain side. For the variations in
mass run the same trial as the control, this time adding an increasing amounts of weight
(200g, 400g, 600g). Record all data into tables. Create a graph that shows the
relationships between your trials.

Data
Surface Area
Large Side

Trial Force (N)

1 0.60 N

2 0.63 N

3 0.65 N

4 0.70 N

5 0.61 N
Small Side

Trial Force (N)

1 0.52 N

2 0.54 N

3 0.50 N

4 0.58 N

5 0.51 N
Surface Type
No Sandpaper on Fiberboard

Trial Force (N)

1 0.60 N

2 0.63 N

3 0.65 N

4 0.70 N

5 0.61 N
Sandpaper on Fiberboard

Trial Force (N)

1 1.05 N

2 1.10 N

3 1.00 N
 4 1.03 N

5 1.06 N

No Sandpaper on Wood

Trial Force (N)

1 0.75 N

2 0.70 N

3 0.75 N

4 0.80 N

5 0.77 N

Sandpaper on Wood

Trial Force (N)

1 1.21 N

2 1.17 N

3 1.20 N

4 1.19 N

5 1.21 N

No Sandpaper on Sandpaper

Trial Force (N)

1 1.17 N

2 1.13 N

3 1.15 N

4 1.10 N

5 1.16 N

Sandpaper on Sandpaper
 Trial Force (N)

1 1.30 N

2 1.27 N

3 1.30 N

4 1.29 N

5 1.31 N

Weight
With 200 g

Trial Force (N)

1 1.60 N

2 1.57 N

3 1.60 N

4 1.62 N

5 1.59 N

With 400 g

Trial Force (N)

1 2.55 N

2 2.60 N

3 2.59 N

4 2.55 N

5 2.60 N

With 600 g

Trial Force (N)

1 3.29 N
 2 3.33 N

3 3.31 N

4 3.28 N

5 3.30 N

Calculations
Surface Area
Large Side: = Ff / FN = 0.64 N / (0.236 kg x 9.81 m/s2) = 0.28
Small Side: = Ff / FN = 0.53 N / (0.236 kg x 9.81 m/s2) = 0.23

Surface Types
No Sandpaper on Fiberboard: = Ff / FN = 0.64 N / (0.236 kg x 9.81 m/s2) = 0.28
Sandpaper on Fiberboard: = Ff / FN = 1.05 N / (0.236 kg x 9.81 m/s2) = 0.45
No Sandpaper on Wood: = Ff / FN = 0.75 N / (0.236 kg x 9.81 m/s2) = 0.32
Sandpaper on Wood: = Ff / FN = 1.20 N / (0.236 kg x 9.81 m/s2) = 0.52
No Sandpaper on Sandpaper: = F f / FN = 1.14 N / (0.236 kg x 9.81 m/s2) = 0.49
Sandpaper on Sandpaper: = Ff / FN = 1.30 N / (0.236 kg x 9.81 m/s2) = 0.56
Weight
With 200 g Added: = Ff / FN = 1.60 N / (0.436 kg x 9.81 m/s2) = 0.37
With 400 g Added: = Ff / FN = 2.58 N / (0.636 kg x 9.81 m/s2) = 0.41
With 600g Added: = Ff / FN = 3.30 N / (0.836 kg x 9.81 m/s2) = 0.40

Graph
Error Analysis
Error For Mass Change
Avg = (avg force applied) / (trials)
= (0.64 + 1.60 + 2.58 + 3.30) / 4
= 2.03 N
% = .5(Max - Min) / avg
= .5(3.30 - 0.64) / 2.03
= + or - 0.66 % Should Be 65%

Analysis Questions
 1.
2. When an object is pulled at constant velocity that object is said to have no
net force. According to Newton's first law, and object that has no net for is said to
be at constant velocity and at equilibrium. When an object is at equilibrium,
opposing forces are equal to each other, so the force applied is equal to the force
of friction.
3. The spring scale initially jumps and is harder to pull, but then settles in at
constant velocity because it takes more applied force to overcome static friction
and get the block moving than it does to pull the block at a constant velocity with
kinetic friction.

4. The factor that had the greatest effect on frictional force was increasing
the mass. The force applied, to get the greater amount of mass moving, was
much higher than the rest of the trials, and increased as the mass increased.
This means that the force of friction was much higher also. The values we
obtained for the force of friction were 1.60 N, 2.58 N, and 3.30 N. The next
highest value of friction was 1.30 N with sandpaper on sandpaper. The factor that
had the greatest effect on the coefficient of friction was varying surface type. The
highest coefficient of friction value was 0.56 which was for sandpaper on
sandpaper. The next few that were close to this value also came from various
surface types.
Conclusion

In conclusion our results showed us a lot about coefficients

of friction and how friction values. It showed that even six times
the mass value, the coefficients of friction are still the same. With
this one graph we can assume that the coefficients of friction
must be relatively close for all the different changes we made,
whether it be a change in surface area, surface type, or mass.

Name Bankovich
Possible Recieved

Name/Title 1 1

Purpose/Objective 2 2

Background 4 4

Equipment List 1 1

Set-up Diagram 2 2
Procedural Summary 5 4 Explain measurement.
Data (Tables) 4 4

Calculations 4 4

Graph (u vs Fg) 3 3
Error Analysis 3 1 Description of Error, % diff in coefficients
Question 1 2 2

Question 2 2 2

Question 3 2 2

Question 4 2 2
Conclusion 3 3
40 37