How Do I Find the Force of Friction for My Lab Report?

[Nabik33]

Homework Statement

Ok, I am doing attempting to do a lab report right now and I am unable to find the forces that I need.

This is what i am being asked to do:
"Plot the force (not mass) applied by the sand versus the force exerted on the track by the block and its load for both the kinetic and static cases with the felt-aluminum interface."

All I have are the masses of the two objects. One object(the block) is on a surface while the other(the sand) is hanging over the edge with a pulley.

What I think I need is the applied force by the sand and the friction force but not entirely sure how to do that.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Nate810]

Homework Equations F=maThe Attempt at a SolutionTo calculate the applied force by the sand, use the equation F=ma. The mass of the sand is given, so you can calculate the force by multiplying the mass by the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s2). To calculate the friction force, use the equation Ffriction = μN where μ is the coefficient of friction and N is the normal force. The normal force can be calculated by multiplying the mass of the block by the acceleration due to gravity.

 

[Moetasim]

First, it is important to understand the concept of friction. Friction is a force that opposes the relative motion between two surfaces in contact. In this case, the felt-aluminum interface is where the friction force is acting. To find the force of friction, you will need to use the formula:

Friction force = coefficient of friction * normal force

The coefficient of friction is a measure of how "rough" or "smooth" the two surfaces are in contact. It is a dimensionless quantity, meaning it has no unit. The normal force is the force exerted by the surface on the object in a direction perpendicular to the surface. In this case, it is the weight of the block and its load.

To find the normal force, you can use the formula:

Normal force = mass * acceleration due to gravity

Once you have the normal force, you can plug it into the first formula to find the force of friction. Make sure to use the correct coefficient of friction for the felt-aluminum interface. This value can be found in a table or given to you in the lab instructions.

For the kinetic case, the force applied by the sand is the same as the force of friction, since the block is in motion. For the static case, the force applied by the sand is greater than the force of friction, since the block is not moving and the sand is exerting a greater force to try and overcome the friction force.

To plot the data, you can plot the force applied by the sand on the y-axis and the force exerted on the track by the block and its load on the x-axis. Make sure to label your axes and include units. You should have two separate plots for the kinetic and static cases.

I hope this helps you in completing your lab report. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to ask your instructor or a classmate for assistance. Good luck!