Question

A physics major is cooking breakfast when she notices that the frictional force between her steel spatula and Teflon frying pan is only 0.200 N. Knowing the coefficient of kinetic friction between the two materials, she quickly calculates the normal force. What is it?

a) 0.200 N
b) Depends on the gravitational force
c) 2.00 N
d) Cannot be determined with the given information

Answer 1

The normal force cannot be determined with the given information.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student can calculate the normal force using the equation:

N = mg

Where N is the normal force, m is the mass of the object, and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

The normal force is equal to the weight of the object.

In this case, since the question doesn't provide the mass of the object, we cannot determine the normal force with the given information.