Friction is a force between objects that opposes the relative motion of the objects. In this project, the different amounts of static and kinetic friction needed to move and stop objects across different surfaces in relation to distance traveled was found out. That is, this project was conducted to determine whether objects of different surfaces (but of equal weight) would travel similar distances as the surface is changed. The objective was to study how far objects would travel when the coefficient of Static or Kinetic friction changed across different surfaces.
The effect of friction was investigated using four surfaces (fine finish wood, felt, aluminum foil, sandpaper, and Ice). Four objects were used: wood block, a small plastic container, eraser and a sponge. The weight of each object was made similar by using coins or screws attached to the top or placed inside the object. Each object was shot across each surface five times for a total of 100 measurements, but knowing each distance will be different for the same object, the average distance traveled was taken. The starting point and force of the shooting mechanism were constant for each measurement. The distance traveled by the objects moving across the surfaces did not stay in the same relative order as the surfaces changed. The finished wood had the lowest friction effect since the objects traveled farther with a low coefficient of Friction. The least traveled distance was with sand paper and surprisingly enough the objects traveled about the same distance. The results indicated that coefficient of friction was dependent under different object-surface combinations, since many distances were not relative. This it can be concluded that the higher the static and kinetic friction of the object it is the less distance it will travel. |
