Which best describes friction in the context of Newton's laws?

A. a force that opposes the relative motion of two objects in contact and sliding past each other

B. an object's resistance to being accelerated by a force

C. a force that is always in the direction opposite to the acceleration

D. a kind of tape that holds things together

*** I think it's B, but I'm not 100% sure, what do you all think? :) Thanks!

Question

Which best describes friction in the context of Newton's laws?

A.  a force that opposes the relative motion of two objects in contact and sliding past each other

B.  an object's resistance to being accelerated by a force

C.  a force that is always in the direction opposite to the acceleration

D.  a kind of tape that holds things together 

*** I think it's B, but I'm not 100% sure, what do you all think? :) Thanks!

jim_thompson5910 · Answer

The object's resistance to the acceleration is the inertia. That's essentially linked with the mass. The bigger the object, ie the more massive it is, the more resistance you'll encounter when accelerating it.

kc_kennylau · Answer

C is not correct in the case of walking, so it should be A.

kc_kennylau · Answer

D is also incorrect, since objects can still move even if they have frction.

kc_kennylau · Answer

And the one above me just explained why B is also incorrect.

anonymous · Answer

oh so it's A? 

and ohh i see now:)

jim_thompson5910 · Answer

yeah, think of two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together. That's one form of friction since they are in contact and friction opposes the direction of motion. Another form is air friction (basically molecules in the air bumping into the object slowing it down)

anonymous · Answer

ahh okie:) thank you guys!!! :)