Advantage and disadvantage of friction and ways to decrease the friction

Do you know what is the meaning of friction?

The friction force is the force that exists between the two surfaces when they touch each other and it affects in the opposite direction of the movement.

There are different types of friction as the friction between the bodies and the air, the friction between the solids, and the friction between the bodies and the water.

What are the factors affecting the friction force?

The friction force increases by increasing the body surface area

1. The surface area of the moving object.

2. The body’s speed.

3. The type of material surface.

   The friction force occurs when there is contact between two surfaces

Disadvantages of the friction

The friction causes damage to most of the machines as it raises the temperature of the internal moving parts of the machines to more than a certain extent, So the machines are damaged, and a lot of money is wasted.

What are the ways to decrease the friction force?

• You should use the lubricants and the oil in the machines to form a thin layer between the internal moving parts of the machines to reduce the effect of the friction force.

  Example: Using lubricants and oil in the car engines.

• You should use the ball bearing in the machines. They are formed of a group of small metallic balls which have a smooth surface, So, the friction between them is almost non-existent.

  Example: The ball bearing that exists in the axis of the car engine, and it transmits the motion from the car engine to the wheels.

  Advantages of the friction

  • Friction is necessary for the lighting of a match.

  •  The friction force helps in moving and stopping cars or bicycles.

  • The friction force is very important in controlling the car speed and changing the car direction.

  • It helps us to walk as the friction force between the ground and our shoes prevent us from slipping down.

Life applications of the friction

• You should replace the car tires when their grooves disappear, Because they are necessary to squeeze the water out, The water reduces the friction and make the control of the car very hard.

• The air resistance is also a friction force resulting from the movement of solid objects through the air.

• You should not increase the car speed up to a certain limit to reduce the air resistance and the consumption of the fuel.

• To decrease the air resistance, The rockets, the aircrafts and the trains should be designed in streamlined shapes, Also the bodies of the birds have streamlined shapes.

• The parachutist should open the parachute to land safely.

• The birds stretch their wings on landing to decrease their speed on landing.

• Water resistance is also a friction force resulting from the movement of any object through the water. To decrease the water resistance, The ships are designed in streamlined shapes, Also fish have streamlined shapes.

The friction between the solid objects and the air

The factors affecting the friction between the solid objects and the water

The factors affecting the friction between two solid objects

The positive and negative effects of cars

Accompanied forces of motion, Forces of inertia, Friction forces & Biological forces