Friction Is a Matcher with a Ceiling

You'll learnthat static friction matches your push up to a ceiling, then drops to a flat kinetic rate.

Static friction doesn’t have a value — it has a limit. Watch the meter match your push newton for newton, hit the ceiling, and snap to the flat kinetic rate the instant the crate breaks loose.

8 STEPS · 6 QUICK CHECKS · g = 10 m/s² · v5

FORCE LAB

Before you start

What you're looking at

A 10 kg crate on a rough floor with an applied-force arrow, beside a gauge showing the friction force.

The question

Does a 30 N push move the crate, and what happens to friction and acceleration at 60 N?

Watch for

Watch the gauge bar match your push newton for newton, hit the ceiling, then snap down as it slides.

What the symbols mean

The amber bar is current friction, the dashed line is the static ceiling (50 N), the red tick is the kinetic rate (40 N).

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