Have you ever faced difficult while moving a heavy object at rest compared to an object in motion. It is because of static friction. In this post, we will discuss several static friction examples.
- Pushing heavy objects
- A load on a conveyor belt
- Plants root fixed on the ground
- Bulb attached to a choke
- Dust on the ground
- Spectacles on our nose
- Nail in a wall
- Holding onto objects
- Sticky note
- Tying a knot
- Pillars attached to a wall.
- Clothes held tight by clip
- Cap of a pen
- A flower vase stays on a tabletop
- A shirt on a hanger
- Belt on hips
- Hats on our head
- Ring on our fingers
- Wearing watch
- Water droplets on a window
- When we move on the elevator
- Tiles on a roof
- Bookmarks of a book
- Ink stain on paper
- Stone present on the ground
Pushing heavy objects.
Pushing heavy objects like a table, lorry, or heavy rock is very tough initially. But, still, after applying a lot of force, it starts to move because these have very high static friction that resists the motion of objects and depends on the nature of the surface across which we are pushing the object. Whereas in the case of small objects like a pen, it requires less force to push.
A Load on a conveyor belt.
When load moves on a conveyor belt, they don’t fall suddenly because static friction prevents them from falling off, but if speed increases, there is a chance that force may exceed the limiting friction, which results in the falling of load. So, in general, speed is kept under control.
Plants root fixed on the ground.
The roots of a plant remain fixed to the ground with the help of static friction. Here, the static friction acts between the two surfaces in contact, which helps them stand firm until an external force acts on it.
Bulb attached to a choke.
The bulb is attached to the electronic choke with the help of static friction. Here, static friction helps the bulb be held tight by the choke and prevents it from falling.
Dust on the ground.
Dust particles on the ground are tough to remove. Static friction makes dust particles stick on the ground, and we sometimes use a vacuum cleaner to clean off the stubborn dust. But only after applying a cleaning liquid, which reduces the static friction, makes the cleaning easy.
Spectacles on the nose.
The spectacles are held with the help of static friction, which acts between the handles of our spectacles and nose. If there were the absence of friction, it would have slipped. However, static friction makes the spectacles stay for a long time on our noses.
Nail on a wall.
A nail stays on a wall or a wooden board due to static friction that occurs between the wall and the nail. Here the value of limiting friction is high, and it takes time for static friction to adjust itself to the force applied; that is why we feel difficult to remove a nail from the wall.
Holding onto materials.
If friction is absent, it is not possible to hold anything. For example, when we lift a material, the static friction between our hands helps keep the material at rest. In this example of static friction, even though there is a motion, relative motion is absent.
Sticky notes.
Sticky notes can be stuck on the walls with the help of static friction by opposing the forces like gravity and wind. Here the limiting friction is high and cannot be disturbed. The cause of static friction here is due to adhesive chemical forces.
Tying a knot.
We tie a knot very tight so that it won’t loosen up and hold the things, and due to static friction, it remains in its position and is very difficult to untie the knot because of the static friction, which tries to keep the rope in its position.
Pillars attached to a wall.
Pillars remains fixed in the wall with the help of cement. Here, the static friction acts between the cement surface and the pillar that helps the pillars remain fixed. The static friction occurs due to the adhesion of chemical reactions.
Clothes are held tight by clip.
After washing the cloth, we place the cloth on the wire with the help of a clip to dry it under sunlight. Here cloth is held tight by the clip because static friction acts between cloth and the clip.
Cap of a pen.
The cap of a pen fits tightly on the pen. A perfect fit cap sits on a pen due to static friction. It helps to hold the cap and pen together, and the shape of the cap must be perfect for getting more static friction and maintaining the position.
A flower vase stays on a tabletop.
When a flower vase is kept on the tabletop, it does not move unless a force acts on it. It is because static friction acts between the bottom surface of the vase and the surface of the table, making it fixed on the table.
A shirt on a hanger.
A shirt placed perfectly on a hanger will not fall because of static friction. The presence of static friction between shirt and hanger will help to hold cloth firmly. The material of hangers also plays a vital role because comparing to plastic, wooden hangers will have more static friction.
The belt on hips.
Belt stay on our hips due to static friction. The presence of static friction helps the belt to hold the pants tight onto our hips. The value of limiting friction depends on the surface and material of the belt.
Hats on our heads.
Hats held on our heads without any external support is because of static friction. The static friction acts between the surface of the hat and will help the hat hold its position tight on the head. The value of friction also depends on the shape and size of the hat.
Ring on our fingers.
While removing a ring from your fingers, you would experience some difficulty due to static friction. A ring can be held tight on our fingers because a force of static friction acts between a layer of skin and finger.
Wearing watch.
Similar to a finger ring, even a watch stays on our hand due to static friction. It acts between the watch’s surface and our hand and helps the watch to remain on our hand.
Water droplets on a window.
On a rainy day, we observe the presence of water droplets on window glass. Large droplets will drain away, but tiny water droplets remain because static friction acts between the glass surface and the water droplet.
When we move on the elevator.
When you visit a shopping mall, you will have an elevator to the top floor; it is an example of static friction because relative motion is absent when we move on the elevator belt. Still, we experience a speed that makes us fall. So here, static friction saves us from falling.
Tiles on a roof.
Tiles are fixed in a vertical position on the roof with the help of cement. It is an example of static friction. Here, the friction causes due by chemical adhesion that acts between the surface of cement and tiles, making them hold together.
Bookmarks of a book.
We generally use a bookmark to mark the page of a book that we have read. Unfortunately, the bookmark remains on the page due to static friction between the bookmark’s surface and the page.
Ink stain on the paper.
When there is a leakage in pen, a drop of ink falls on the paper and creates a stain; it feels challenging to remove the stain because static friction acts between a layer of ink and the surface of the paper.
Stone is present on the ground.
The stone present on the ground will stay in a state of rest until a force act on it. It is challenging to move a heavy rock compared to a small one; this is because static friction depends on the body’s mass, so heavier to the body, it will be more difficult to move.
Frequently Asked Question on static friction examples.
What causes static friction?
Static friction causes when the body is in a state of rest. Causes of static friction are as follows,
- Chemical adhesion.
- Nature of surface.
- Irregularities present on the surface.
- Force applied.
Why is static friction the strongest?
The following will explain why static friction is stronger compare to kinetic friction and rolling friction.
Static friction is the strongest because it acts at rest and requires more force to keep the body at rest than the forces that help move the body when it is in motion.
Does static friction exist by itself?
Static friction exists by itself, and it resists the movement of the object.
Why static friction is more than rolling friction?
The following explains why static friction is more than rolling friction.
In general, friction depends on the area of contact between two surfaces. As the area of contact in rolling friction is smaller compared to static friction. Hence, rolling friction being the weakest among the types of friction, and static friction being the strongest.
Is rolling friction is more than dynamic friction?
Dynamic friction is also called kinetic friction.
Rolling friction is the opposing force that occurs when a body rolls on the other surface. It is less compared to kinetic friction if we consider the same pair of bodies. When one body rolls on another, there is no kinetic friction between them.
What is limiting friction?
Limiting friction is the breakpoint at which static friction ends.
Limiting friction is defined as the frictional force that acts between the two surfaces at rest. If the applied force is increased, then the object overcomes the limited friction and starts to move.
Mathematically, it is represented as
Here,
= coefficient of limiting friction
N = normal force.
What are the types of friction?
The four types of friction are as follows,
- static friction
- sliding friction
- rolling friction
- fluid friction
Can the coefficient of static friction be greater than 1?
The value for the coefficient of static friction is usually between 0 and 1, but in some conditions, it can be greater than 1.
The coefficient of friction always depends on the bodies which cause friction. For example, when the contact surface is heavily polished, the frictional force increases due to the increase. In such a case, the coefficient of friction will be greater than one.
What is the formula of static friction?
The formula for static friction is given as follows,
Here, fs = Static Friction
N = Normal Force
= Static Friction coefficient
Define fluid friction?
Fluid friction is a type of friction.
Fluid friction is a frictional force that restricts the movement of an object that moves through liquid. It is defined as the frictional force that acts between the layers of liquid and the object.
What are the laws of static friction?
The law of static friction says that,
“The frictional force that stops the movement of the object as it starts to fall is directly proportional to the normal force that the object exerts on the surface”.
Is normal force equal to static friction?
Normal force and static friction are not equal but perpendicular to each other.
The normal force causes the repulsion between two surfaces. Therefore, it limits the closeness of two objects. In comparison, static friction is a force that forms a bond between the two surfaces which are in contact with each other.
Is zero friction possible?
Zero friction is not possible.
If we use many lubricants to reduce friction, it never decreases because every surface exhibits a small amount of friction. A surface without friction is not possible as the surface cannot eliminate complete friction.
Why is static friction important?
Static friction is important for the testing of the brake system.
Static friction plays an essential role in the testing of the brake system of a vehicle. In this study, can precisely identify accurate control of temperature and roughness of surface and third body contact.
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I am Raghavi Acharya, I have completed my post-graduation in physics with a specialization in the field of condensed matter physics. I have always considered Physics to be a captivating area of study and I enjoy exploring the various fields of this subject. In my free time, I engage myself in digital art. My articles are aimed towards delivering the concepts of physics in a very simplified manner to the readers.
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