Q.Though friction opposes relative motion, yet in certain cases, friction is also the cause of motion.

Showing the 12 most recent of 31 on this concept.

1. CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
   Q.Which of the following is the greatest?

   (a) Static friction

   (b) Kinetic friction

   (c) Rolling friction

   (d) Fluid friction

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   Experimentally, (limiting) static friction $>$ kinetic friction $>$ rolling friction, and fluid friction is generally the smallest of all for comparable conditions.

   Friction between two solid surfaces has three regimes: static friction (opposes the start of relative sliding, up to a maximum/limiting value), kinetic friction (opposes actual sliding, once motion has started), and rolling friction (opposes rolling motion, arising mainly from small deformation at the contact patch). Experimentally:

   $f_{\text{static, max}} > f_{\text{kinetic}} > f_{\text{rolling}}$ …

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2. CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 mark
   Q.By using ball bearings, sliding friction can be converted into ............. friction.

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   Ball bearings replace sliding contact with rolling contact, and rolling friction is much lower than sliding (kinetic) friction.

   When two surfaces slide directly against each other, they experience sliding (kinetic) friction, which is relatively large because of interlocking surface irregularities scraping past one another. Ball bearings are small hard spheres placed between two surfaces (e.g. inside a wheel's axle housing) so that, instead of sliding, the surfaces roll over the balls. Rolling friction is much smaller than sliding friction because the contact area deforms only slightly and there is far less relative scraping motion at the contact points. This is why machines, whe …

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3. CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 mark
   Q.Define coefficient of friction. OR Define angle of friction.

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   $\mu=f/N$: the coefficient of friction is how many times larger the maximum frictional force is compared to the normal (perpendicular) contact force.

   When two surfaces are in contact and one tends to slide (or slides) over the other, a frictional force $f$ opposes this relative motion, and it is found experimentally to be directly proportional to the normal reaction force $N$ pressing the two surfaces together:

   $f = \mu N$

   The constant of proportionality $\mu$ is called the coefficient of friction:

   $\mu = \frac{f}{N}$

   …

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4. CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
   Q.Match the column - select the correct definition (from Column B) for the term 'Friction' (Column A):

   (a) change in linear momentum

   (b) motion opposing force

   (c) loss of energy

   (d) rate of change of momentum

   (e) ability of doing work

   (f) rate of doing work

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   Friction is the force that opposes relative motion between contacting surfaces.

   Friction arises at the point of contact between two surfaces and always acts in a direction that opposes the relative sliding motion (kinetic friction) or the tendency toward such motion (static friction) between the surfaces. It never aids motion; its defining role i …

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5. CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 mark
   Q.Write the answer in one word/one sentence: Write the dimensional formula for coefficient of friction mu.

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   Coefficient of friction has no dimensions — it is a pure (dimensionless) number.

   The coefficient of friction is defined as:

   μ = f / N

   where f is the frictional force and N is the normal reaction, both measured in newtons (dimensions [M L T⁻²]). Since μ is the ratio of two quantities with identical dimensions, all dimensions cancel:

   μ = [M L T⁻²] / [M L T⁻²] = [M⁰ L⁰ T⁰]

   …

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6. CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
   Q.If normal force is doubled then coefficient of friction will be (A) doubled (B) four times (C) equal (D) half

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   The coefficient of friction μ does not depend on the normal force; it stays the same when N is doubled.

   The friction force is related to the normal reaction by:

   $f = \mu N$

   …

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7. CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
   Q.Which frictional force is the lowest?

   (a) Sliding friction

   (b) Rolling friction

   (c) Static friction

   (d) Both (A) and (B)

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   The general ordering of friction magnitudes (for the same pair of surfaces) is: static friction > sliding (kinetic) friction > rolling friction -- so rolling friction is the lowest.

   Static friction: opposes the start of relative motion; its maximum value is usually the largest of the three.

   Sliding (kinetic) friction: acts once surfaces are sliding over each other; smaller than maximum static friction.

   …

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8. CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
   Q.The coefficient of friction between the tyres and road is 0.1. The maximum speed with which a cyclist can take a circular turn of radius 3 m without skidding is (Take g = 10 ms^-2)

   (a) sqrt(15) ms^-1

   (b) sqrt(3) ms^-1

   (c) sqrt(30) ms^-1

   (d) sqrt(10) ms^-1

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   For a cyclist taking a flat circular turn, friction alone supplies the centripetal force; equating them gives v_max = sqrt(mu g r) = sqrt(3) m/s.

   On a flat (unbanked) circular road, the maximum speed without skidding is set by the condition that the required centripetal force does not exceed the maximum available friction force:

   …

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9. CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
   Q.Match the following - Column A item: Coefficient of friction. Pick the matching relation from Column B.

   (a) F.V (Force . Velocity)

   (b) T is proportional to sqrt(l)

   (c) eta is proportional to 1/(dv/dx)

   (d) mu_s = tan(theta)

   (e) Y is proportional to 1/l

   (f) v^2/r

   ›Reveal solutionSolution

   Coefficient of friction (mu_s) is related to the angle of friction/repose theta by mu_s = tan(theta).

   When a body rests on an inclined surface, it is on the verge of sliding when the angle of incline equals the angle of friction theta, at which point the maximum static friction force just balances the component of gravity along the incline. This condition gives mu_s = tan(theta) — the stand …

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10. CBSE 2025Set sz1 markMCQ
    Q.The maximum value of static friction when the body is at the verge of starting motion is known as: (A) Impending motion (B) Angle of repose (C) Static friction (D) Limiting friction

    ›Reveal solutionSolution

    The maximum static friction, reached at the verge of motion, is called limiting friction.

    Static friction adjusts itself to balance the applied force and can take any value up to a maximum.

    The instant the body is on the verge of sliding, static friction attains this maximum value, known as limiting friction ($f_s^{max} = \mu_s N$). …

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11. CBSE 2024Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
    Q.If normal reaction becomes double then coefficient of friction will be (A) doubled (B) four times (C) equal (D) halved

    ›Reveal solutionSolution

    Doubling the normal reaction leaves $\mu$ unchanged; only the friction force doubles.

    The coefficient of friction is defined by $f=\mu N$, i.e. $\mu=f/N$. It depends only on the nature and roughness of the two surfaces in contact, not on the magnitude of the normal reaction. If $N$ is doubled, the frict …

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12. CBSE 2024Set SET-NDP60001 markMCQ
    Q.The maximum value of static friction is called:

    (a) Rolling friction

    (b) Kinetic friction

    (c) Limiting friction

    (d) None of the above

    ›Reveal solutionSolution

    The maximum value of static friction, reached just before sliding begins, is called limiting friction.

    When an applied force tries to slide one surface over another, static friction adjusts itself to exactly balance the applied force, up to a maximum value. Below this maximum, the body stays at rest (static friction is self-adjusting). Once the applied force exceeds this maximum, the body starts to slide, and friction drops to (and stays close to) kinetic friction. This maximum value of static friction — the threshold value just before motion begins — is called limiting friction, $f_{s,\text{max}} = \mu_s N$, where $\mu_s$ is the coefficient of static friction and $N$ is th …

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