which is harder to move? explain your reasoning.?

Question

A. a woodend box across a wooden floor
B. a steel box(of the same weight) across a steel floor

values for wood on wood = statitic friction = .58 kinetic = .40
values for steel on steel .75 .48

Answer 1

If the coefficients of friction above apply to the boxes in question, then it is easier to move the wood box. Interesting, my natural inclination would have been to say steel.

Answer 2

The one with the higher coefficient of friction (the steel box).

All else is held constant.

Edit: For those that seem to be trying to find a generalization in the example, the wood could be sanded and the steel an unfinished surface. In other words, you can't form a generalization. You can only look at the particular example in which the coefficient of friction was given.

Answer 3

For those values of the coefficient os static friction it should be harder to move the steel box since the force of friction = coefficient of friction x weight in the elementary theory of frition


Roughness, smothness are general concepts ALREADY INCLUDED in the numerical coefficient of friction. Therefore only the magnitude of this coefficient is of importance to determine the force of friction ; the higher the coefficient the higher the force of friction

Answer 4

You show wood on wood to have lower coeff. of static and kinetic friction. Therefore the wooden box should be easier to start moving and keep moving.

Answer 5

Hi depends on how smooth each surface/object was. Polished wood? Rough/rusty floor?

Answer 6

I obviously don't know physics, I had thought it would be the wooden one because the 2 wooden surfaces would be rougher, containing splinters, that would give you more resistance.