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The force of friction is NOT ALWAYS directed opposite the direction an object is moving. Consider, for example, an object (like a book) resting on a piece of paper on a table. If you gently pull the paper and the book moves with the paper, friction between the paper and the book is causing the book to move in the same direction as the paper. Even if you pull a bit faster and the book slides in the same direction as the paper motion, but a little bit slower, the friction is the force which is pulling the book along--in the same direction of the paper motion.

The direction friction is acting is opposite the direction of the relative SLIDING or attempted sliding of surfaces. In the cases above, without friction, the book would slide opposite the direction of paper motion, so the friction is in the same direction, accelerating the book along with the paper. In the first case, the book's acceleration is the same as the paper's; in the second, the book's acceleration is less than the paper's causing the book to actually slide backwards relative to the paper's motion.

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9y ago
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9y ago

The force of friction is directed opposite of the way an object is moving so it is able to stop the object. An example would be a car and its brakes.

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Q: The force of friction is directed opposite of the way an object is moving because?
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Related questions

What is the force that opposes the friction force?

The opposite force to friction is momentum. Because friction stops an object from moving or slows an object down, momentum keeps it at speed.


What direction does friction act in to an object's direction of motion?

Friction will always act in the direction opposite of the relativistic motion of two objects. If object A is moving to the right on object B, then object A will experience the friction to the left. However, object B will be moving to the left on object A and will therefore experience the friction acting towards the right.


Does friction cause the speed of moving objects to increase?

No, the force of friction always acts in the direction opposite to that of the motions.


How friction decreases d speed of an moving object?

friction is nothing but just the opposite force acting on any moving object...... it hence decreases the speed of a moving object as the object is obstructed in its path


What are forces between two moving objects that are touching?

Friction force. [opposite force]


What is the force between two moving objects that are touching?

Friction force. [opposite force]


How is static friction and kinetic friction differ from each other?

They are different because static means "not in motion" and kinetic means "in motion". Kinetic friction means friction that is moving and static friction means friction that is not moving.


Why does friction resist motion?

A friction is a force that acts in the opposite direction of a moving body. It acts at the meeting of two different surfaces. So friction always resists motion.


How do you apply friction?

Friction acts in the opposite direction that the object is moving or trying to move. The force of friction is calculated by multiplying the normal force of the object, usually mass times gravity, by the coefficient of friction.


Would you slow down or keep moving if there wasn't much friction?

You would keep moving, because friction is what slows you down.


Why friction is independent of speed?

Friction is independent of speed because an object could not be moving and still have so friction.


Why do objects heat up if they are moving faster?

Because the friction of molicules rubbing other molicules.