by:

RANDOLF L. FLORES
Newtons 3rd Law of Motion and
Friction
Newtons 3rd Law of Motion:
For every ACTION, there is
an EQUAL and OPPOSITE
REACTION.
Newtons 3
rd
Law simply means that in
every interaction, there is a pair of
forces acting on the two interacting
objects. The size of the forces on the
first object equals the size of the force
on the second object. The direction of
the force on the first object is opposite
to the direction of the force on the
second object. Forces always come in
pairs - equal and opposite action-
reaction force pairs.
So, if someone
pushes horizontally
against a wall with a
force of 100 N, then
the wall will push
horizontally against
the person with a
force of 100N.

IMPORTANT: Do not
confuse this situation
with equilibrium of
forces in which
several forces act on
the SAME OBJECT,
with a zero resultant
force. Here the forces
act on DIFFERENT
OBJECTS, i.e., the
person on the wall
and the wall on the
person.
3rd Law of Motion (Animation)
Example # 1
While driving down the
road, a fly strikes the
windshield of a bus and
makes a quite obvious
mess in front of the face of
the driver. This is a clear
case of Newton's third law
of motion. The fly hit the
bus and the bus hits the
firefly. Which of the two
forces is greater: the force
on the firefly or the force
on the bus?
Each force is the SAME size. Remember: for every action, there is an
EQUAL and OPPOSITE REACTION.
Example # 2
In the diagram on
the right, a 60 kg
roller skater
pushes a 30 kg
roller skater with
a force of 5 N.
The force exerted
by the 30 kg
roller skater on
the 60 kg roller
skater is ___ N.
According to Newtons third law of motion, for every action force, there
is an equal and opposite reaction force. So, the force exerted by the 30
kg roller skater on the 60 kg roller skater is equal to the force exerted
by the 60 kg roller skater. Therefore, the answer is 5 N.
FRICTION
Friction is the force resisting the relative
motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and
material elements sliding against each
other.
Concepts on Friction
Friction is independent of the velocity (below
certain limits) between two sliding bodies.
If the NORMAL FORCE (force perpendicular to
the surface) remains the same, friction is
independent on the area of the rubbing surfaces.
The force of friction is proportional to the total
force pressing one surface against another.
The force of friction is slightly greater at the start
than after the motion has begun.
Three Types of Friction
SLIDING FRICTION ROLLING FRICTION
Sliding friction is the friction
between two solid surfaces as
shown below. If it werent for
friction, students would slip right
off their chairs and pencils
would slide right out of their
hands.
Rolling friction is much less than
sliding friction. It is the
resistance that occurs when an
object rolls. People use wheel
barrels and dollies to help move
large or heavy objects.
FLUID FRICTION
Fluid friction occurs when a solid object is in contact with a fluid, such as a
liquid or gas. When a force is applied to either the object or the fluid, there is a
friction force that resists the motion. Examples where fluid friction occurs are
water flowing through a hose, an airplane flying through the atmosphere, and oil
lubricating moving parts. Air resistance is a type of fluid friction. As the force of
gravity pulls an object down, fluid friction from the air pushes back up on the
object. The diagram below illustrates the amount of force acting on a skydiver
throughout their fall. If in free fall long enough, the person will reach terminal
velocity when the force of air resistance is balanced with the force of gravity. To
increase fluid friction, a person uses a parachute to increase surface area. This
allows the person to catch air.
Calculating Frictional Force
Where is the coefficient of friction; and F
n
is
the Normal Force.
Two types of coefficient of friction :
A. Coefficient of Static Friction (
s
) - is
defined as the ratio of the force necessary to
start motion to the force pressing the bodies
together, that is, the Normal Force.
B. Coefficient of Kinetic Friction (
k
) - is the
ratio of the force necessary to move the
body uniformly, to the Normal Force.
Calculating Frictional Force on a
HORIZONTAL SURFACE
Sample Problem: What is the (a)
STATIC FRICTIONAL FORCE for a 30
kg mass on a horizontal surface where
the coefficient of static friction is 0.525?
And; (b) If you push the object with the
INITIAL STATIC FORCE, what
acceleration does the object experience
when it is moving where the coeffiecient
of kinetic friction is 0.325?

Calculating the COEFFICIENT OF
FRICTION ON A HORIZONTAL SURFACE
Sample Problem: A 24 kg
crate is moving with a
constant velocity along the
ground due to a 53 N force
applied to it in the direction of
motion. What is the
coefficient of Kinetic Friction?