Question

A horizontal force of 5.0 N pushes a 0.5 kg block against a vertical wall. If the coefficient of friction between the block and the wall is 0.2, what is the frictional force acting on the block?

a) 0.2 N
b) 0.5 N
c) 1.0 N
d) 1.5 N

Answer 1

To find the frictional force acting on the block, multiply the coefficient of friction by the normal force.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the frictional force acting on the block, we first need to calculate the normal force. The normal force is equal to the weight of the block, which is the mass of the block multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity. In this case, the mass of the block is 0.5 kg and the acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.8 m/s². So the normal force is 0.5 kg * 9.8 m/s² = 4.9 N.

The frictional force is then found by multiplying the coefficient of friction (0.2) by the normal force. So the frictional force is 0.2 * 4.9 N = 0.98 N.

Therefore, the frictional force acting on the block is approximately 0.98 N.