CHAPTER – 12

FRICTION
Definition of Friction:
Friction is the force that opposes motion between any surfaces
that are in contact with each other.
It is a type of contact force.

Spring Balance
What is Friction?
 Friction is a force that comes
into play when two surfaces
come in contact with each
other.

 The Frictional force or the

force of Friction acts in the
opposite direction of the
motion of the object.

 The force of Friction opposes

the relative motion between
the surfaces of two moving
objects. Figure 1 Force of Friction
 Factors that can affect Friction

Figure 2 Contact between two surfaces

 Factors Affecting Friction

1. The irregularities of a surface: If we move an object with has an

irregular or rough surface on another surface which is also
irregular, the force of Friction will be high in this case and the
movement of the object would be restricted.

2. The regularity of a surface or its smoothness: If the surfaces of

either of the objects are smooth, the force of Friction would be
less and the object would move easily over the surface. Even
smooth surfaces have a certain irregularity.

3. If two surfaces are pressed hard: the force of Friction increases

between two surfaces if they are pressed hard and hence the
movement of the object becomes restricted. However, if there is
no pressure the object can easily move.
 Factors Affecting Friction

Figure 3 Factors Affecting Friction

 Types of Friction
1. Static Friction: The Frictional force that comes into play until an
object starts moving is called static Friction. An object has to
overcome the static Friction force in order to start its movement.

2. Sliding Friction: Sliding Friction comes into play whenever an object

moves along the surface of another object. Such a movement is called
‘slide’. Hence, sliding Friction is the force that opposes the movement
or slide of an object.
3. Rolling Friction: When an object is rolling on a surface the force of
Friction which acts upon it is called rolling Friction.

4. Fluid Friction: When an object moves in a fluid, the fluid exerts a

Fluid Friction upon the object. The frictional force exerted by fluids is
called drag. It is also called Air Friction (when the medium of travel is
air) and Viscous Friction (when the medium of travel is water).
 Types of Friction

If all the three types of friction are compared, then:

Static > Sliding > Rolling

Figure 4 Types of Friction

 Advantages of Frictional Force

Frictional force is necessary for various purposes in our daily

lives such as:

 It allows us to walk on the earth surface.

 It allows us to write with a pen on a surface or a paper.

 It allows us to fix a nail in the wall.

 A moving object would never be able to come to the state of

rest without the Frictional force.

 It would not be possible to drive any automobiles on the road

without the Friction force.

 It would not be possible to construct any buildings without

the Frictional force.
 Advantages of Frictional force

Figure 5 Advantages of Frictional force

 Disadvantages of Frictional Force

 Frictional force results in wear and tear of objects such as

the moving parts of a machine, the tyres of a vehicle, sole of
the shoes etc.

 It also results in the production of heat. In the case of

machines, the production of heat leads to wastage of energy.

 The Frictional force also leads to a decrease in the speed of a

moving object or some time stops it.

 It can lead to noise pollution in certain cases. For instance,

aircrafts produce loud sound due to the resistance of the air.
 Disadvantages of Frictional force

Figure 6 Disadvantages of Frictional force

How can we reduce or increase Friction?
Increasing Friction: Sometimes we need to increase Friction so as to
avoid slipping of objects, for example:

1. The sole of the shoes is grooved so that the Friction between our feet
and ground increases and we can walk safely

2. The tyres are treaded so that they can have a better grip over the
ground and allow the smooth movement of the vehicles.

3. Brake pads are used in bikes to stop them suddenly from moving by
increasing the amount of Friction.

4. Kabaddi players rub their hands with soil which helps in increasing
the Friction between the hands and allows them to have an easy grip
of the opponent.

5. Gymnasts also apply a coarse substance so that they can have a

better grip due to increased Friction in their hands.
 Increasing Friction

Figure 7 Increasing Friction

Reducing Friction: Sometimes in order to have a smooth movement of
an object we need to reduce Friction. For example,

 The powder is sprinkled over the carrom board to decrease the

Friction between the board’s surface and the striker. In this way, the
surface of the carrom board becomes smooth.

 Grease is used in bicycles and other motors or different parts of a

machine to reduce Friction and increase their efficiency.

 Oil is applied on the hinges of the door so that they can move easily.

 Applying substances like oil, grease or powder allows in smooth

movement as they block the irregularities of a surface. The substances
that can reduce the amount of Friction between different objects are
called lubricants. However, we can never reduce Friction to a level of
zero. There are always some irregularities present on the surface.
 Decreasing Friction

Figure 8 Decreasing Friction

Figure 9 Lubricants
 How wheels reduce Friction?

 We know that when an object rolls over a surface rolling

Friction is produced which resists its motion on the surface.
However, its magnitude is lesser than the static and sliding
Friction.

 Wheels are circulating objects that turn around a center

point.

 The wheels allow an object to roll over a surface rather than

allowing them to slide over the surface.

 This results in less Friction and hence easy movement of the

object.
 Rolling Friction is also used in the parts of machines that are
moving continuously.

 In this way, the sliding Friction is removed with the help of

rolling Friction and therefore the adverse effects of Friction
such as the production of heat or wear and tear of the
mechanical parts are also reduced.

 For instance, ball bearings are being used in fans and

bicycles to reduce Friction.
 Figure 10 Ball Bearings

Figure 11 Fluid Friction

Fluid Friction

Air, water and other liquids collectively are called fluids. They
also exert a Frictional force on the object that travels through
them. Such a Friction is called fluid friction or drag. The
amount of Frictional force by a fluid on an object depends
upon the following:

1. The speed of the object with respect to the fluid.

2. The nature of the fluid, its viscosity or its tendency to resist

the flow.

3. The shape of the object.

Fluid Friction comprises Internal and External Friction:

 Fluids comprise of internal Friction that occurs between

the molecules of a liquid as they are also in motion. The
viscosity of a liquid, therefore, depends upon the internal
Friction.

 An external Friction in fluids is the force exerted by the

fluid on the object that flows through it.
As an object travels in a fluid it loses its energy in order to
overcome the fluid Friction. Hence, things that can easily flow in
fluids have special shapes.

 For instance, ships and boats have a particular shape that allows
them to resist fluid Friction.

 Birds and aeroplanes have a specific shape that allows them to

fly in the air.

 Fishes also have a specific shape such as a tail and fins that allow
them to swim continuously in water and even prevent the loss of
energy due to fluid Friction.

 Not only this, all the vehicles are designed in a way that they
can resist the fluid Friction because air is present everywhere.
Figure 12 Objects can resist Fluid Friction because of their special Shape
MIND MAP
 Solutions for Class 8 Science Chapter 12 Friction

Question 1.

Fill in the blanks.

(a) Friction opposes the relative motion between the surfaces in contact
with each other.
(b) Friction depends on the smoothness (or irregularities or nature)
of surfaces.
(c) Friction produces heat.
(d) The sprinkling of powder on the carom board reduces friction.
(e) Sliding friction is less than the static friction.

Question 2.

Four children were asked to arrange forces due to rolling, static and
sliding frictions in decreasing order. Their arrangements are given
below. Choose the correct arrangement.
(a) rolling, static, sliding
(b) rolling, sliding, static
(c) static, sliding, rolling
(d) sliding, static, rolling
Question 3.
Alida runs her toy car on a dry marble floor, wet marble floor, newspaper and towel
spread on the floor. The force of friction acting on the car on different surfaces in
increasing order will be
(a) wet marble floor, dry marble floor, newspaper and towel.
(b) newspaper, towel, dry marble floor, wet marble floor.
(c) towel, newspaper, dry marble floor, wet marble floor.
(d) wet marble floor, dry marble floor, towel, newspaper.

Question 4.
Suppose your writing desk is tilted a little. A book kept on it starts sliding down. Show the
direction of frictional force acting on it.

Answer:
Frictional force will act upward, i.e., the direction opposite to that of sliding book.

Question 5.
You spill a bucket of soapy water on a marble floor accidentally. Would it make it easier or
more difficult for you to walk on the floor? Why?

Answer:
The layer of soap makes the floor smooth due to which the friction is reduced. This makes
the floor slippery and the foot cannot make a proper grip on the floor. Therefore it is
difficult to walk on a soapy floor. We may slip on the floor.
Question 6.
Explain why sportsmen use shoes with spikes.

Answer:
Sportsmen use shoes with spikes to increase the friction between shoes and the surface.
So the shoes with spikes do not slip while the sportsmen run and play.

Question 7.
Iqbal has to push a lighter box and Seema has to push a similar heavier box on the
same floor. Who will have to apply a larger force and why?

Answer:
A heavy object produces more friction as it is pressed hard against the opposite surface.
So Seema will have to apply a larger force.

Question 8.
Explain why sliding friction is less than static friction.

Answer:
The sliding friction is less than static friction because the sliding object get less time to
interlock into the contact points on the floor. So it is somewhat easier to move an
object already in motion than to get it started.
Question 9.
Give examples to show that friction is both a friend and a foe.

Answer:
Some points are given below which show that friction is both a friend and a foe:
Friction as a friend:
It allows us to grip and catch any object.
It helps us to walk comfortably on the floor.
It helps to minimise the speed or to stop any moving object.
It helps us to write.
Friction as a foe:
It causes wear and tears in objects.
It causes damage to the parts of machines and tools which further require
money to get them repaired.
It reduces the speed of moving objects, so more force is required.
It produces hurdles in moving any object freely.

Question 10.
Explain why objects moving in fluids must have special shapes.

Answer:
The objects moving in fluids must have a special shape to overcome the fluid friction
acting on them. Efforts are therefore made to minimise the friction, so objects are
given special shape having pointed fronts with little broader middle portion which
gets tapered at the back called streamlined.