Question

Bob is pulling a 30kg filing cabinet with a force of 200N , but the filing cabinet refuses to move. The coefficient of static friction between the filing cabinet and the floor is 0.80.Part AWhat is the magnitude of the friction force on the filing cabinet?Express your answer to two significant figures and include the appropriate units. f =

Answer 1

`2.0\cdot 10^2 N`

Step-by-step explanation:

The cabinet does not move: this means that the net force acting on it is zero.

Along the horizontal direction, we have two forces:

- The push exerted by Bob, F = 200 N, forward

- The frictional force,
`F_f`, which acts in the opposite direction (backward)

Since the net force must be zero, we have:

`F-F_f = 0`

So solving the equation we can find the magnitude of the friction force:

`F_f = F = 200 N=2.0 \cdot 10^2 N`