Question

A piece of bacon starts to slide down the pan when one side of a pan is raised up 5.0 cm. If the length of the pan from pivot to the raising point is 23.5 cm, what is the coefficient of static friction between the pan and the bacon?

a) 0.21
b) 0.34
c) 0.45
d) 0.58

Answer 1

The coefficient of static friction between the pan and the bacon is 0.45.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the coefficient of static friction between the pan and the bacon, we can use the concept of equilibrium. When the bacon begins to slide down the pan, the force due to static friction is equal to the force component pulling the bacon down the pan. This force component can be calculated using trigonometry:

F_pull = m * g * sin(angle)

The force due to static friction is given by:

F_friction = m * g * cos(angle)

Since the bacon is on the verge of sliding, the force due to static friction is at its maximum value:

F_friction_max = μ_s * N

Since the normal force N is equal to the weight of the bacon, we can write:

F_friction_max = μ_s * m * g

Setting F_pull equal to F_friction_max and rearranging the equation gives us:

μ_s = F_pull / (m * g * cos(angle))

Substituting the given values:

angle = tan^{-1}(5.0 cm / 23.5 cm), g = 9.8 m/s^2

μ_s = F_pull / (m * g * cos(tan^{-1}(5.0 cm / 23.5 cm)))

Plugging in the appropriate values gives us the result:

μ_s = 0.45