Where does the force of friction come from?

If this article was a movie, it would probably be titled Friction: Origin Story and it would portray how a good guy developed into a notorious villain.

In many ways, the force of friction feels like a villain of some kind in the study of mechanics. When every other force seems to be doing some credible work, the force of friction is just there to oppose them.

But as we shall soon find out, when you take a deeper look, you will realize that friction comes from a rough background – no pun intended!

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Force laws and Laws of motion

Force laws and laws of motion are a kind of two-sides-of-the-same-coin when it comes to classical physics. Reminds me of a common paradox which I’ll explore below in the form of a narrative.

It’s a wonderful Monday morning at Townsville Middle School. You are sitting next to your best friend Amy. She is telling you about her last family vacation to the Bahamas amid distinct chatter in the class. Suddenly everybody falls quiet and looking up, you see Mr. Thomas, the physics teacher.

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Understanding graphs of motion in kinematics.

  • Post category:Motion

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But how true does this statement translate to the science of maths and equations? Personally, I’d argue that a graph is worth several mathematical equations, and at least a few hundred words. This is why it is absolutely important to understand the graphs of motion if you wish to master the physics of moving bodies. This next section illustrates my point.

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