Types of Friction - Static, Sliding, Rolling And Fluid, FAQs

Edited By Vishal kumar | Updated on Jul 02, 2025 05:07 PM IST

The article includes what is friction, what are the factors affecting friction, what is friction in Science, and what does friction produce. It also explains the concept of work done by frictional force, angle of friction, and the application of friction.

Note: Friction for class 11, the definition of friction for class 8, angle of repose for class 11 is also mentioned in the article.

Introduction of friction

The concept of friction was given by many scientists worldwide. Aristotle, Pliny the Elder, and Vitruvius were some of them.

Origin of friction: The foundation for the study of friction was first laid by the famous scientist Leonardo da Vinci. He conducted a systematic study on friction and gave classical laws. Through his research, he understood how the working of machines depends on friction. Many years before Newton’s law of motion, Leonardo da Vinci had explained the basic laws of friction. The law comprises two statements that state:

The areas in contact have no effect on friction.
If the load of an object is doubled, its friction will also be doubled.

From the study, he claimed that each body moves with different ease. Due to the roughness of the material, it experiences friction.

This theory was then studied by different scientists for further research.

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What is friction?

The opposing force that resists the relative motion between the bodies in contact is the definition of friction or frictional force.

Explain the concept of friction.

Consider two objects that are in contact with each other. There is always some resistance to the sliding or rolling of those objects. The theory of friction is mainly due to the irregularities on the objects that are in contact. For a normal eye, the object may look smooth but it also has minute irregularities. It can be observed through the microscopic view. The roughness of the material is mainly responsible for friction.

Figure 1 Microscopic view of objects with irregularities on their surface

The two objects having irregularities bind together and lock themselves. To move any object, a force is required to remove the locking between the objects. Objects with a rough surface have more irregularities and so it requires a greater force of friction.

Types of friction/ Types of frictional force/ What are the types of friction/ Different types of friction

Depending on the types of motion there are four different classifications in friction. They are,

Static friction: The opposing force between two or more solid objects that do not have any relative motion between them is called static friction. In simple words, it is the friction applied to an object at rest. The nature of the surface affects static friction.
Sliding friction: When two objects are sliding over one another, the friction applied is called sliding friction.
Rolling friction: When one object rolls over the other the applied friction is called rolling friction. Rolling replaces sliding as friction due to sliding is always more than rolling.
Fluid friction: In fluids, the opposing force present in between different layers as they move relative to each other is called fluid friction.

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What is friction?
Types of friction/ Types of frictional force/ What are the types of friction/ Different types of friction
Important definitions on friction

Types of Friction - Static, Sliding, Rolling And Fluid, FAQs

Friction images are shown below,

Friction

friction

What are the factors affecting friction or frictional force?

Friction depends on the following factors:

Nature of the objects in contact: Due to the more irregularities, objects having rough surfaces provide greater friction.
Nature of the surface: Roughness or smoothness affects friction. The roughness of the surface and the roughness of the objects together increase frictional force.
Type of friction: Friction depends on whether the action is rolling or sliding. Friction due to sliding is always more than rolling.
Normal force acting on the sliding objects: Friction increases with the increase in the normal force acting on the object. This is because the force which is perpendicular to the sliding plane increases the interaction between the object and thus friction increases.
Mass of the object: Friction increases with the increase in the mass of the object.

What does friction produce?

Friction produces heat energy. When two objects move over each other, the kinetic energy produced by the objects is converted to heat energy.

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Work done by frictional force

The frictional force is an opposing force. It is the opposite of the relative motion of the body. When an object is pulled, friction acts opposite to the direction of displacement. Displacement will be negative.

Since work done W=F×d

Work done is directly proportional to the displacement d. Hence work done by the frictional force will also be negative.

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Important definitions on friction

Define internal friction.

When an object undergoes deformation, the force opposing the motion between the elements forming the object is called internal friction.

Angle of friction

Angel of friction

Figure 2 Angle of friction

Angle made by the resultant (R) of the frictional force Fmax and the normal reaction (N) with the direction of the normal reaction is called the angle of friction.

Define cones of friction.

When two surfaces are at rest, the horizontal surface applies resultant force on another surface. When this condition is located in a cone it is called the cone of friction.

Limiting friction

The maximal or highest value of static friction is called limiting friction.

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NCERT Physics Notes:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Write about friction.

The opposing force between the objects sliding across each other is friction.

2. Write surface friction definition

Opposition to the flow of air along the earth's surface is called surface friction.

3. Friction depends on the ______of surfaces.

Irregularities

4. What is friction and its application?

The opposing force that resists the relative motion between the bodies in contact is the definition of friction. There are many applications of friction in daily life. They are, applying the brake in a moving vehicle, drilling a nail to the wall, skating, etc.

5. Define cone of friction in engineering mechanics.

If the direction of applied force P is gradually changed through 3600, the resultant R generates a right circular cone with a semi vertex angle equal to ϕ.

6. What is the friction block on block concept?

Friction block describes how surface smoothness is in association with frictional force. It also explains the coefficient of friction.

7. Write the definition of friction for class 8.

Friction is a force opposing the motion between the surfaces that are in contact with each other.

8. Define angle of repose for class 11.

The angle of an inclined plane with which a body starts to slide is called the angle of repose.

9. Define the angle of friction for class 11.

When an object is kept at rest on an inclined plane, the minimum angle of inclination with which it is about to slide down is called the angle of friction.

10. How many types of friction are there?

There are four types of friction. Static friction, sliding friction, rolling friction, fluid friction.

11. What is the coefficient of friction, and how is it used?

The coefficient of friction is a dimensionless value that represents the ratio of the friction force to the normal force between two surfaces. It's used to calculate the friction force when the normal force is known. There are separate coefficients for static and kinetic friction.

12. What factors affect the magnitude of friction between two surfaces?

The main factors affecting friction are:

13. Why do car tires need some friction to work properly?

Car tires need friction with the road surface to provide traction. This friction allows the car to accelerate, brake, and turn. Without sufficient friction, the tires would slip, making it difficult or impossible to control the vehicle.

14. Why do ice skaters glide so easily on ice?

Ice skaters glide easily because of a thin layer of water that forms between the skate blade and the ice due to pressure and friction. This water acts as a lubricant, significantly reducing friction and allowing for smooth gliding.

15. How does the normal force affect friction?

The normal force, which is perpendicular to the surfaces in contact, directly affects the magnitude of friction. As the normal force increases, so does the friction force. This relationship is described by the equation: F = μN, where F is the friction force, μ is the coefficient of friction, and N is the normal force.

16. How does static friction differ from sliding friction?

Static friction occurs between two surfaces that are not moving relative to each other, while sliding friction occurs when one surface is sliding over another. Static friction is typically greater than sliding friction and is responsible for keeping objects at rest.

17. How does rolling friction compare to sliding friction?

Rolling friction is typically much less than sliding friction. This is why wheels and ball bearings are used to reduce friction in many applications. Rolling objects experience less resistance because they have less surface area in contact with the ground at any given moment.

18. What is the difference between kinetic and static friction?

Static friction acts on objects at rest, preventing them from starting to move. Kinetic friction acts on objects already in motion, opposing their movement. Static friction is typically greater than kinetic friction for the same surfaces.

19. How does fluid friction differ from solid friction?

Fluid friction, also known as drag, occurs when an object moves through a fluid (liquid or gas). Unlike solid friction, fluid friction increases with the speed of the object. It depends on factors like the object's shape, size, and the fluid's properties.

20. Why is it usually harder to start pushing a heavy object than to keep it moving?

It's harder to start pushing a heavy object because you need to overcome static friction, which is generally greater than sliding friction. Once the object is moving, you only need to overcome sliding friction, which requires less force.

21. What is friction and why is it important in our daily lives?

Friction is a force that resists the relative motion between two surfaces in contact. It's crucial in our daily lives because it allows us to walk, drive cars, and hold objects. Without friction, we would slip and slide constantly, and many everyday tasks would be impossible.

22. Why do race car drivers want their tires to heat up during a race?

Race car drivers want their tires to heat up because warm tires provide better traction. The heat softens the rubber slightly, increasing its contact area with the track and thus increasing friction. This allows for better acceleration, braking, and cornering.

23. What is the relationship between friction and energy?

Friction converts kinetic energy (energy of motion) into thermal energy (heat). This is why rubbing your hands together makes them warm. In many mechanical systems, friction leads to energy loss and reduced efficiency.

24. How does friction affect the motion of objects on inclined planes?

On an inclined plane, friction opposes the component of the object's weight that acts parallel to the surface. It can prevent objects from sliding down if static friction is strong enough, or slow their descent if kinetic friction is present. The steeper the incline, the more likely it is that objects will overcome static friction and begin to slide.

25. How does friction affect the stopping distance of a vehicle?

Friction between the tires and the road is crucial for a vehicle's stopping distance. Greater friction allows for shorter stopping distances. Factors that reduce friction, such as wet or icy roads, increase stopping distance. This is why it's important to maintain good tire tread and adjust driving speed to road conditions.

26. How does lubrication reduce friction?

Lubrication reduces friction by creating a thin film between two surfaces, preventing direct contact. This film can be a liquid (like oil) or a solid (like graphite). It allows the surfaces to slide more easily over each other, reducing wear and energy loss.

27. How does friction contribute to the phenomenon of self-locking in mechanical systems?

Self-locking occurs when friction prevents a mechanism from moving backwards, even under load. This is commonly seen in screws and worm gears. The angle of the thread or gear teeth is designed so that the friction force is greater than the force trying to turn the mechanism backwards. This principle is used in many applications where maintaining position is important, like in adjustable equipment or load-bearing structures.

28. How does friction affect the behavior of fluids at very small scales, such as in microfluidic devices?

At very small scales, the surface area to volume ratio increases dramatically, making surface effects like friction more dominant. In microfluidic devices, fluid behavior is heavily influenced by viscous forces and surface tension. This can lead to phenomena like laminar flow becoming more prevalent and can affect mixing and separation processes. Understanding these effects is crucial for designing efficient microfluidic systems for applications in medicine and chemistry.

29. What is the relationship between friction and the concept of damping in oscillatory systems?

Friction acts as a damping force in oscillatory systems, gradually reducing the amplitude of oscillations over time. This is because friction converts the kinetic and potential energy of the oscillation into heat. Without friction or other forms of damping, an ideal oscillator would continue to oscillate indefinitely. Understanding this relationship is crucial in analyzing and designing systems ranging from suspension bridges to electronic circuits.

30. How does friction contribute to the phenomenon of hysteresis in materials?

Friction at the microscopic level contributes to hysteresis, which is the dependence of a system's state on its history. In materials, this can manifest as a lag between the application and removal of a force or field. For example, in magnetic materials, friction between magnetic domains leads to energy loss and hysteresis in magnetization curves. This concept is important in understanding material behavior in various fields, including materials science and engineering.

31. What is the concept of frictionless flow in fluid dynamics, and when is it applicable?

Frictionless flow, also known as inviscid flow, is an idealized concept in fluid dynamics where viscous forces are assumed to be negligible. This approximation is useful for analyzing high-speed flows far from solid boundaries, where inertial forces dominate over viscous forces. While no real fluid is truly frictionless, this concept allows for simplified analysis in many aerodynamic and hydrodynamic problems. However, it's important to recognize its limitations, especially near solid surfaces or in low-speed flows where viscous effects become significant.

32. How does friction affect the propagation of waves in different media?

Friction affects wave propagation by causing attenuation (reduction in amplitude) as the wave travels through a medium. This is due to the conversion of wave energy into heat through various friction mechanisms. In solids, internal friction between particles causes damping. In fluids, viscosity leads to energy dissip

33. How does air resistance relate to fluid friction?

Air resistance is a form of fluid friction. It occurs when an object moves through air, which is a fluid. Like other forms of fluid friction, air resistance increases with the object's speed and depends on its shape and size.

34. What is the difference between sliding friction and rolling friction in terms of energy efficiency?

Rolling friction is generally much more energy-efficient than sliding friction. This is because rolling objects, like wheels, have less surface area in contact with the ground at any given moment, resulting in less resistance. This is why we use wheels on vehicles and machinery to reduce energy loss due to friction.

35. What role does friction play in the concept of mechanical advantage in simple machines?

While simple machines like levers and pulleys are designed to provide mechanical advantage, friction can reduce their efficiency. Friction in the moving parts of these machines converts some of the input energy into heat, reducing the output force or work done. Minimizing friction through lubrication or using materials with low coefficients of friction can improve the efficiency of simple machines.

36. How does the concept of friction apply to nanoscale objects and surfaces?

At the nanoscale, friction behaves differently than at the macroscale. Atomic-scale interactions become more significant, and classical friction laws may not apply. Phenomena like atomic-scale stick-slip motion and the increased importance of adhesion forces come into play. Understanding nanoscale friction is crucial for developing nanotechnology and miniaturized mechanical systems.

37. Why do objects in orbit eventually fall to Earth, even in the near-vacuum of space?

Objects in low Earth orbit experience a small amount of fluid friction from the extremely thin atmosphere at that altitude. This atmospheric drag, though minimal, gradually slows the object over time, causing its orbit to decay. Without periodic boosts to maintain their speed, satellites and other orbiting objects will eventually fall back to Earth.

38. How does friction contribute to the formation of static electricity?

Friction plays a key role in triboelectric charging, a common way of generating static electricity. When certain materials are rubbed together, electrons can transfer from one material to the other due to friction. This leaves one material with a positive charge and the other with a negative charge, creating static electricity.

39. What is the difference between dry friction and lubricated friction?

Dry friction occurs between two solid surfaces in direct contact, while lubricated friction involves a layer of fluid (liquid or gas) between the surfaces. Lubricated friction is generally much lower than dry friction because the fluid layer reduces direct contact between the surfaces, allowing them to slide more easily.

40. How does friction affect the efficiency of heat engines?

Friction in heat engines, such as car engines or steam turbines, reduces their efficiency by converting some of the useful energy into heat. This friction occurs in moving parts like pistons, bearings, and gears. Engineers work to minimize this friction through design improvements and lubrication to increase the overall efficiency of heat engines.

41. Why do some surfaces feel "sticky" even though they're dry?

Some surfaces can feel sticky due to high friction caused by molecular attraction between the surfaces, even when they're dry. This is often due to van der Waals forces or electrostatic attraction. Materials like rubber or certain plastics can exhibit this property, which is sometimes called "tackiness."

42. How does friction contribute to the wear and tear of mechanical parts?

Friction causes wear and tear in mechanical parts through several mechanisms:

43. What is the relationship between friction and the concept of work in physics?

In physics, work is defined as force multiplied by displacement in the direction of the force. Friction often does negative work on a system because it acts in the opposite direction of motion. This means that friction typically reduces the total work done by other forces in the system, converting some of the energy into heat.

44. How does the surface area affect friction between two objects?

Counterintuitively, for most materials, the surface area does not affect the friction force. This is because as the area increases, the pressure decreases proportionally, keeping the total friction force constant. However, for some materials (like rubber) and in certain conditions (like with adhesives), increased surface area can lead to increased friction due to molecular interactions.

45. What is the difference between static friction and stiction?

Static friction is the force that prevents an object at rest from beginning to move. Stiction, short for static friction, specifically refers to the peak value of static friction that must be overcome to initiate motion. Stiction is particularly important in precision mechanical systems and can cause issues like stick-slip motion in certain applications.

46. How does friction affect the motion of fluids in pipes?

Friction between a fluid and the pipe walls creates drag, which affects the fluid's flow. This friction leads to pressure drops along the pipe and can cause turbulence. The amount of friction depends on factors like fluid viscosity, flow rate, pipe roughness, and pipe diameter. Understanding this friction is crucial for designing efficient piping systems.

47. What role does friction play in the formation of mountains and other geological features?

Friction plays a crucial role in plate tectonics and the formation of geological features. When tectonic plates collide, friction between them causes deformation, uplift, and the formation of mountains. Friction also contributes to earthquakes when built-up stress is suddenly released along fault lines.

48. How does friction affect the behavior of granular materials like sand?

Friction between individual grains in granular materials like sand determines many of their bulk properties. It affects how the material flows, piles up, and responds to stress. The angle of repose of a sand pile, for instance, is determined by the friction between the grains. Understanding granular friction is important in fields ranging from construction to pharmaceutical manufacturing.

49. What is viscous friction, and how does it differ from other types of friction?

Viscous friction occurs within fluids and between fluids and solids. It results from the resistance to flow within the fluid itself. Unlike solid friction, viscous friction increases with the relative velocity between fluid layers or between a fluid and a solid surface. It's responsible for phenomena like drag on objects moving through fluids and energy loss in fluid flows.

50. What is the relationship between friction and the concept of mechanical equilibrium?

Friction plays a crucial role in mechanical equilibrium, particularly for objects at rest. Static friction provides the force necessary to balance other forces acting on an object, keeping it stationary. For example, a book on an inclined plane remains at rest because static friction balances the component of its weight parallel to the plane. Understanding this relationship is key to analyzing forces in equilibrium problems.

51. How does friction affect the behavior of strings and ropes in pulley systems?

Friction in pulley systems occurs between the rope and the pulley wheel, and within the pulley's bearings. This friction reduces the efficiency of the system by converting some of the input energy into heat. It also causes the tension in the rope to vary on different sides of the pulley, unlike in an ideal, frictionless pulley where tension is constant throughout the rope.

52. What is the difference between isotropic and anisotropic friction?

Isotropic friction is uniform in all directions, while anisotropic friction varies depending on the direction of motion. Many everyday surfaces exhibit roughly isotropic friction, but some materials, like wood grain or certain crystals, have anisotropic friction properties. Understanding this difference is important in applications ranging from materials science to the design of sports equipment.

53. How does friction contribute to the phenomenon of stick-slip motion?

Stick-slip motion occurs when friction between two surfaces alternates between static (stick) and kinetic (slip) phases. It happens because static friction is typically higher than kinetic friction. The object sticks until enough force builds up to overcome static friction, then slips until friction slows it down, and the cycle repeats. This phenomenon is responsible for squeaking doors, violin music, and some types of earthquakes.

54. What is the role of friction in the mechanics of joints in the human body?

In human joints, friction plays a dual role. A certain amount of friction is necessary for joint stability and control of movement. However, excessive friction can lead to wear and tear on joint surfaces. Synovial fluid in joints acts as a lubricant to reduce friction. Understanding this balance is crucial in fields like orthopedics and the design of artificial joints.

55. What is the role of friction in the mechanics of earthquakes?

Friction plays a central role in earthquake mechanics. Earthquakes occur when built-up stress overcomes the static friction holding tectonic plates together. As the plates slip, kinetic friction generates heat and seismic waves. The stick-slip behavior caused by the difference between static and kinetic friction contributes to the jerky nature of earthquakes. Understanding friction at fault lines is crucial for earthquake prediction and risk assessment.

56. How does friction affect the behavior of non-Newtonian fluids?

In non-Newtonian fluids, the relationship between shear stress and strain rate is not constant, unlike in Newtonian fluids. This means that the effective viscosity, and thus the friction within the fluid, can change depending on the applied force or the flow conditions. This leads to unique behaviors like shear thickening (increased resistance with increased force) or shear thinning (decreased resistance with increased force). Understanding these effects is important in applications ranging from industrial processing to the design of protective equipment.