# Friction Force Calculator

Created by Rahul Dhari
Reviewed by Kenneth Alambra
Last updated: Aug 19, 2022

The friction force calculator is the tool that will help you determine the magnitude of friction force for situations like pushing or pulling an object along the floor. But before we get into friction force calculations, this accompanying article will help you understand what friction force is and why this friction force is both desirable and undesirable.

## What is friction force?

Friction is a phenomenon that arises when two surfaces are in contact. The force acting as a resistance to the movement of the objects slides against each other. It could be either solid on solid or fluid on solid. There are different types of friction based on the scenarios. Mathematically, the friction force, $F$ acting on the body, is the product of the coefficient of friction $\mu$ and the normal force $N$ acting on the object. Such that:

$F = \mu N$

Friction is one of the components responsible for creating the difference between "ideal" and "actual" conditions. In other words, the phenomenon is one of the causes why the output is always less than the input. For instance, the friction between gears, pistons, and the sliding mechanism causes energy loss resulting in lower outputs. In such cases, the frictional force is undesirable and must be reduced. However, the vehicle brakes operate on friction, and therefore it is desirable in such cases.

## How to calculate frictional force

Let's perform the frictional force calculations for an object being pushed along the floor with a normal force of $75$ N. Consider the coefficient of friction as $0.2$.

1. Enter the coefficient of friction as $0.2$.
2. Fill in the value of normal force as $75$ N.
3. The frictional force calculator will return
\qquad \scriptsize \begin{align*} F &= \mu N \\ F &= 0.2 \times 75 = 15 \end{align*}

If you like this simple tool and want to explore more about friction force, visit more similar tools:

## FAQ

### How do I calculate friction force?

To calculate friction force:

1. Determine the coefficient of friction and normal force.
2. Find the product of coefficient of friction and normal force to obtain the friction force.

### What is the friction force if the coefficient is 0.2 and normal force is 10 N?

The friction force for the given condition is 2 N. Considering 0.2 as the coefficient of friction and normal force as 10 N. Mathematically, friction force, F = µ N = 0.2 × 10 = 2 N.

### What do you mean by coefficient of friction?

The coefficient of friction is the ratio of friction force (F) between the contact surfaces of the two objects and the normal force (N) between the two objects. Mathematically, µ = F/N.

Rahul Dhari
Friction coefficient (μ)
Normal force (N)
lbf
Friction (F)
lbf
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