Question

List ten examples of friction in our daily life.

Answer 1

Examples of Friction:

The required ten examples of friction in our daily life are:

1. Walking – When we walk on the ground or the floor, it is the frictional force that is responsible for holding our feet to the ground. On slippery surfaces or ice, the friction present is less, which is why we tend to slip on these surfaces.
2. Writing – While writing, the tip of the pen is in contact with the paper surface which produces rolling friction in the case of a ballpoint pen or sliding friction in the case of a pencil.
3. Skating – During skating, the skate blade rubs against the surface of the ice which generates heat. This causes the ice to melt which in turn reduces the friction between the blade and the ice surface, and hence skating is possible.
4. Lighting a matchstick – A matchstick lightens when its tip is rubbed against a rough surface that imparts high friction. This generates heat that is responsible for converting the red phosphorous into white phosphorous and the matchstick lightens up.
5. Driving of the vehicle on a surface- When a vehicle is being driven, a force is generated on the wheel by the engine, which makes the vehicle move in the forward direction. There is a presence of friction between the wheels and the road that opposes the forward motion of the vehicle. Hence, the vehicle avoids skidding.
6. Applications of breaks in the vehicle to stop it- When the brakes are applied, a strong frictional force is applied to the wheels of the vehicle. This results in the generation of a large amount of heat occur due to the conversion of the kinetic energy of the moving vehicle into heat. Hence, the vehicle stops moving.
7. Flight of airplanes- Similar to vehicles moving on the road, any object moving forward in the air or any fluid experiences a drag force, which opposes the forward motion of the object in the fluid. This force is caused due to the impact of air on the object and the displacement of air as the object moves forward.
8. Drilling a nail into the wall- When a nail is driven into a wall, the materials nearby gets compressed. This imparts a force on the nail. This normal force that is exerted due to the compressed layers of the wall is converted into the sheer force that is resistive in nature. this force is the frictional force acting on the nail.
9. The dusting of the carpet by beating it with a stick- The carpet exhibits a little static friction that holds the dust to the carpet. When we beat a carpet with a stick, the external force exerted by the stick makes the carpet overcome the friction which causes it to move away from the dust. The dust falls on the floor or carried away by the wind which makes the carpet dust-free.
10. Sliding on a garden slide- When we slide, the back of a person rubs against the surface of the garden which causes friction to be present. If this friction was not there, the person would slide away with increased acceleration, resulting in an injury or accident.