How Do You Calculate the Friction Needed to Stop a Sliding Box?

[katem]

Homework Statement

A 95-kg box is sliding along a level floor with a vi of 15m/s.

a) how large of a constant frictional force is needed to stop to box in a distance of 15m?
b)What is the coefficent of friction between the box and the floor.

Homework Equations

I tried to use vf^2=vi^2+2ad.

The Attempt at a Solution

i used the above equation and i found the acceleration by putting vf as 0 but i am stuck.

 

[ideasrule]

If you can find the acceleration, why can't you find the force needed to produce that acceleration? F=ma.

 

[kerimek]

Your attempt at solving the problem is a good start. However, there are a few things missing in your solution that I would like to address.

Firstly, when using the equation vf^2 = vi^2 + 2ad, it is important to note that this equation is only valid for motion with constant acceleration. In this case, the box is slowing down due to the frictional force acting on it, which is not a constant force. Therefore, we cannot use this equation directly to find the acceleration.

To find the acceleration, we need to use Newton's Second Law, which states that the net force acting on an object is equal to its mass times its acceleration (F=ma). In this case, the net force is the sum of the frictional force and the force of gravity (mg), which is acting in the opposite direction of motion. Therefore, we can write the equation as Fnet = ma = mg - Ffr. Rearranging this equation, we get Ffr = mg - ma.

Next, we can use the equation for work (W = Fd) to relate the frictional force to the distance traveled. Since we know that the box is stopping in a distance of 15m, we can write the equation as Wfr = Ffr * d = (mg - ma)d. We also know that the work done by the frictional force will be equal to the change in kinetic energy of the box (since the box is initially moving and comes to rest), which can be written as Wfr = (1/2)mvf^2 - (1/2)mvi^2.

Now, we can equate these two equations and solve for the frictional force (Ffr). This will give us the answer to part (a) of the problem.

For part (b), we can use the equation for coefficient of friction (μ = Ffr/Fn), where Fn is the normal force acting on the box. We can find the normal force by using the equation Fnet = mg - Fn = ma, and solving for Fn. Then, we can substitute this value in the equation for μ and solve for it.

I hope this helps you to solve the problem. Remember to always use the correct equations and make sure to consider all the forces acting on the object when solving kinematics problems. Good luck!