Calculating the Force of Friction

Last time we introduced the frictional force formula which is used to calculate the force of friction present when two surfaces move against one another, a situation which I as an engineering expert must sometimes negotiate.   Today we’ll plug numbers into that formula to calculate the frictional force present in our example scenario involving broken ceramic bits sliding across a concrete floor.

   Here again is the formula to calculate the force of friction,

F_F = μ × m × g

where the frictional force is denoted as F_F, the mass of a piece of ceramic sliding across the floor is m, and g is the gravitational acceleration constant, which is present due to Earth’s gravity.   The Greek letter μ, pronounced “mew,” represents the coefficient of friction, a numerical value predetermined by laboratory testing which represents the amount of friction at play between two surfaces making contact, in our case ceramic and concrete.

To calculate the friction present between these two materials, let’s suppose the mass m of a given ceramic piece is 0.09 kilograms, μ is 0.4, and the gravitational acceleration constant, g, is as always equal to 9.8 meters per second squared.

Calculating the Force of Friction

Using these numerical values we calculate the force of friction to be,

F_F = μ × m × g

F_F = (0.4) × (0.09 kilograms) × (9.8 meters/sec²)

F_F = 0.35 kilogram meters/sec²

F_F = 0.35 Newtons

The Newton is shortcut notation for kilogram meters per second squared, a metric unit of force.   A frictional force of 0.35 Newtons amounts to 0.08 pounds of force, which is approximately equivalent to the combined stationary weight force of eight US quarters resting on a scale.