Friction is the force that resists the relative motion of two surfaces in contact. The frictional force can be calculated using the formula:
F_friction = μ * N
The Friction Calculator helps you calculate the Friction Force, Coefficient of Friction, or Normal Force based on the inputs you provide. Using the friction equation:
f = μ * N
Where:
The friction calculator uses the following formulas to solve for the unknown variable:
If you know the coefficient of friction μ and the normal force N, you can calculate the friction force by multiplying the two:
f = μ * N
If you know the friction force f and the normal force N, you can calculate the coefficient of friction by dividing the friction force by the normal force:
μ = f / N
If you know the friction force f and the coefficient of friction μ, you can calculate the normal force by dividing the friction force by the coefficient of friction:
N = f / μ
You can also calculate the normal force using the object's mass m and gravity g. The formula is:
N = m * g
Where:
To calculate the friction force based on mass and gravity:
f = μ * m * g
For example, let's compare the frictional forces of rubber and a banana peel on linoleum:
Given your friend's mass is 65 kg and the standard gravitational acceleration on Earth is 9.81 m/s², you can calculate the friction force for each scenario:
f = 0.53 * 65 * 9.81 = 337.95 N
f = 0.07 * 65 * 9.81 = 44.64 N
The friction force tells you how much force is needed to start sliding an object across a surface. In this case, it would take approximately 7.5 times more force to slide your friend across the linoleum while wearing sneakers (337.95 N) than it would if they were standing on a banana peel (44.64 N).
Friction is affected by gravity, which varies from planet to planet. Here's a table of gravitational forces:
| Planet | Gravity (m/s²) |
|---|---|
| Sun | 274 |
| Mercury | 3.70 |
| Venus | 8.87 |
| Earth | 9.81 |
| Moon | 1.62 |
| Mars | 3.71 |
| Jupiter | 24.9 |
| Saturn | 10.44 |
| Uranus | 8.87 |
| Neptune | 11.15 |
| Pluto | 0.58 |
The friction calculator allows you to quickly and easily calculate friction force, coefficient of friction, or normal force by inputting two of the values. The tool will automatically compute the third variable for you.
Understanding friction and being able to calculate these forces is important for many real-world applications such as engineering, physics, and everyday scenarios. Whether you're comparing materials or analyzing forces acting on an object, the friction calculator provides a useful.