Forces and Motion using PhET’s Force and Motion Basics HTML5

Part 2 – Friction

Learning Objectives: Students will be able to

● Predict how forces can change motion.
● Provide reasoning and evidence to explain motion changing or not.

1. Open the Forces and Motion Basics simulation and

play with the Friction screen for a few minutes.

a. How does the Friction screen differ from the Net Force and Motion screens?
The net force screen shows two forces acting on one object to see which has more force. The
motion screen shows one force acting upon another object to see how much force is needed
to push it. The friction screen shows a force pushing on object on a surface with no wheels to
help it move

b. Also, what is something new you discovered?

Something new that I discovered is that the more force that is required to move the object
and stops sooner is due to friction force. Frictional forces always oppose motion or
attempted motion between objects in contact. Friction arises in part due to the roughness of
the surfaces in contact. In order for the object to move, it must rise to where the peaks can
skip along the bottom surface. Thus, a force is required just to set the object in motion. Some
of the peaks will be broken off, also requiring a force to maintain motion. Much of the
friction is actually due to attractive forces between molecules making up the two objects, so
that even perfectly smooth surfaces are not friction-free. Such adhesive forces also depend
on the substances the surfaces are made of.

2. Imagine that your friend, Sam is trying to move a box.

a. Using what you learned by exploring, try drawing arrows to predict what might happen in the
pictures below. (Try this part without using the simulation.)

Sam not pushing Sam pushing but the box not Sam pushing and the box
moving moving

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Forces and Motion: Basics Trish Loeblein & Amy Rouinfar
 Forces and Motion using PhET’s Force and Motion Basics HTML5
Part 2 – Friction

When you push a heavy box, it pushes back at you with an equal and opposite force (Third Law) so that the
harder the force of your action, the greater the force of reaction until you apply a force great enough to
cause the box to begin sliding.

b. Check your sketches using the sim and make corrections if needed. List any new ideas you
discovered.
My predictions were true for the first two photographs, but I was intended to reduce the
friction force in the third photo. Between the thing and the air, it is travelling through, air
friction occurs. It's also known as drag. This force is determined by the object's shape,
substance, speed of movement, and viscosity of the fluid. When you push a heavy box, it
pushes back with an equal and opposite force (Third Law), therefore the harder you push,
the greater the force of reaction until you apply a force strong enough to cause the box to
slide. The box's acceleration is zero because it is at rest, thus the forces must balance. Using
Newton's Second Law, we may deduce that. There is no force of friction since the box has no
tendency to move. The sliding friction force opposes the movement of two sliding contact
surfaces against each other. This force is determined by the type of contact surfaces
(materials and level of finish) as well as the weight applied perpendicular to the motion
direction (Normal force).

c. What do you notice about the similarities and differences between the Applied Force arrow
and the Friction Force arrows in each situation?
For the first situation, Sam is not pushing therefore is no contact force between the box and
him, so the applied force and friction force arrows are not present.
For the second situation where Sam is pushing but the box is not moving, the lengths of the
applied force arrow and the frictional force are the same. Friction is directed opposite to the
movement of the box.
For the third situation where the box moving, it can be noticed that the box is accelerating
and the arrow of the applied force is longer than that of the friction. This means that there is
a net force to the right of the box.

3. How can you make the Friction Force more? What shows you that the force is more?
We can make the friction force more by seeing how much more the applied force was. If the value of
applied force is less than limiting friction, then friction will increase and will be equal to applied force. As
applied force exceeds limiting friction, then kinetic friction comes into play.

4. In your own words,

a. describe Friction Force.
Frictional force is the opposing force that is created between two surfaces that try to move in
the same direction or that try to move in opposite directions. The main purpose of a
frictional force is to create resistance to the motion of one surface over the other surface.

b. describe Applied Force.

For instance, if a person was dragging a box from one side of the room to another, there is a
force that is acting upon the box. Applied force in this instance is then the force being
exerted onto the box by the person pushing it.
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Forces and Motion: Basics Trish Loeblein & Amy Rouinfar
 Forces and Motion using PhET’s Force and Motion Basics HTML5
Part 2 – Friction

5. Have Sam try to move the refrigerator. What’s different from pushing the box?

a. In the table, draw the Sum of Forces arrow for the different cases:

Sam pushing but the Sam pushing and the

Sam not pushing
refrigerator not moving refrigerator moving

From the given figure:

1) Sam is not applying any force: In this case the force applied is zero and the block remain in the rest
position.
2) Sam is applying the horizontal force which is equal to friction force, so the block will not move but
the force was applied on the block and net force is zero.
3) Sam is applying the horizontal force which is more than the friction force, so the block will move
and net force is towards the right side.

b. Were you able to move the refrigerator? If not, what would you have to change? Describe
what you did.
Yes, because there was less friction.

6. Try pushing other things; you can even stack them. What have you discovered?
I have discovered that Sam cannot be able to push any weight above 100kg with the normal amount
of friction. However, if we are able to drop the amount of friction that is applied, we can therefore
push even up to 300kg.

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Forces and Motion: Basics Trish Loeblein & Amy Rouinfar
 Forces and Motion using PhET’s Force and Motion Basics HTML5
Part 2 – Friction

7. Can you find different ways to make the Sum of Forces arrow change?
a. List at least three:
1-Increase the acceleration
2-You could increase the force applied.
3-Reduce friction.
4-Turn off friction.
5-Change the object you’re pushing.

b. In your own words, what is Net Force?

The net force is the vector sum of all the forces that act upon an object. That is to say, the
net force is the sum of all the forces, taking into account the fact that a force is a vector and
two forces of equal magnitude and opposite direction will cancel each other out. At this
point, the rules for summing vectors (such as force vectors) will be kept relatively simple.

8. What are some ways you can change the speed?

You can change the speed of an object by changing the velocity, changing the direction, whether you
are pushing or pulling, or a change in velocity and direction.

9. Using your answers to Question #8, what general statement can you make about the relationship
between net force and how fast an object changes its speed.
A net force on an object changes its motion, the greater the net force, the greater the acceleration.
The heavier the object, the more force needed to be applied.

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Forces and Motion: Basics Trish Loeblein & Amy Rouinfar