MANGAL VIDYALAYAM, Petamitta.
Class: 8 PHYSICAL SCIENCE AY:2024-25.
Chapter:12 FRICTION
I. Important terms and definition:
1. Friction: The force that opposes the flow of motion of an object is called
friction.
2. Static friction: The friction between two surfaces that are in contact and at rest
is called static friction.
3. Limiting friction: The maximum amount of static friction between two surfaces
that are about to move against each other
4. Sliding friction: The friction between the two surfaces that slides one over
another.
5. Rolling friction: The friction between the two surfaces when one surface rolls
over the other surface.
6. Drag: The frictional force exerted by the fluids ( liquids & gases ) is called drag.
7. Streamlined shape: A shape that is slightly rounded in the front and narrow
towards the back.
II. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS:
8. Friction is necessary for walking . Why ?
Ans: Without friction , it is impossible to walk. We would slip and fall every time
we attempt to walk or run. It is slip on a wet polished floor because there is very
little friction on such a floor.
9. How does lubrication reduces friction ?
Ans:
1. The lubricant fills the grooves and crevices in the moving surfaces.
2. Instead of friction between solid surfaces, fluid friction comes into
play.
3. Fluid friction is much less than solid friction. Thus lubrication reduce
friction.
10. What are the factors affecting friction ?
Ans:
1. The nature of the surfaces that are in contact:
The rough surfaces have more irregularities, hence the friction is
greater.
The smooth surfaces have less irregularities, hence the friction is
less.
2. Force of attraction between some atoms on the two surfaces.
3. Force exerted by an object: If the force exerted by the object is
more, the friction also will be more.
III. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS:
11. Discuss three ways in which friction is an advantage in our daily life.
Ans:
1. Friction allows you to write on paper or a board.
2. Friction helps to stop moving objects or to reduce their velocity.
3. Friction helps to walk safely on the ground.
4. Friction helps to keep your balance on slippery surfaces.
5. It helps to drive a nail into the wall.
6. It prevents skidding of vehicle tyres on road.
7. It is possible to light a match stick because of friction.
12. Discuss three situations in which it is necessary to increase friction.
Ans:
1. Friction can be increased by making the surfaces rough.
2. For example, Tyres of vehicles have patterns to increase friction.
3. To increase friction, spikes are provided in the soles of the shoes used by
players and athletes.
4. Removing lubrication between the surfaces in contact increase friction.
5. By increasing the surface area in contact.
6. By spreading sand and gravel on wet ground during rainy season.
13. What are the disadvantages of friction?
Ans:
Friction causes wear and tear of machines and engine parts as they rub
each other.
It reduces the efficiency of a machine.
Friction produces heat that causes objects to wear out.
Energy is wasted in overcoming the force of friction.
Sometimes, forest fires are started due to friction.
Friction increases the power consumption in mechanical systems to
overcome resistance.
Friction makes work tedious (hard/takes long time).
Friction slows down the motion and sometimes produces noise.
14. Discuss three ways of reducing friction how each works.
Ans. Friction can be minimized by making surfaces smooth in several ways:
By lubricating: Friction can be reduced by applying a lubricant like oil or
grease on the surface in contact. This helps because fluid friction is less
than solid friction.
By polishing: Polishing removes the grooves and crevices that exist on the
surfaces which cause friction.
By using wheels and ball bearings:
1. The use of wheels between surfaces moving over each other
reduces friction.
2. Ball bearings have small balls of steel between steel surfaces.
3. Because of the balls the steel surfaces can move over each
ther as the rolling friction is lesser than sliding friction.
By using streamlined shapes: Drag in aircraft, ships and automobiles is
reduced by using streamlined shapes.
15. How can you show that friction on a smooth surface is less than friction on a
rough surface? Why is this so?
Ans: To show the difference in friction on different surfaces, we will measure the
force required to move a block of wood across different surfaces using spring
balance:
Attach a hook to a block of wood.
Tie one end of the string to the hook and the other end to the spring balance.
Place the block of wood on a rough cemented floor and pull the spring
balance.
Keep increasing the force till the block just starts moving on the surface.
Take note of the reading on the spring balance at that time.
Next place the block on a smooth surface and pull the spring balance.
Take note of the reading on the spring balance at that time
You will observe that more force is required to slide a block on cemented floor
than the smooth surface.
Therefore, rough surface has more friction than the smooth surface.
