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#1 2007-10-24 02:53:17
- Daniel123
- Member
- Registered: 2007-05-23
- Posts: 663
Friction
Does anyone mind explaining to me why F_max = μR?
What does R have to do with it?
Thanks.
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#2 2007-10-24 02:58:09
- Daniel123
- Member
- Registered: 2007-05-23
- Posts: 663
Re: Friction
Actually, I get it.
But why say R, and not W? They're the same, aren't they? And it is the weight that causes the reaction.
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#3 2007-10-24 17:35:03
- landof+
- Member
- Registered: 2007-03-24
- Posts: 131
Re: Friction
Excuse me, I don't want to sound rude but is R a variable to the equation? Independent? Dependent?
I shall be on leave until I say so...
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#4 2007-10-24 23:50:03
- mathsyperson
- Moderator
- Registered: 2005-06-22
- Posts: 4,900
Re: Friction
R is the reaction force. If you're standing on the ground, then your weight is pushing on the ground and so the ground exerts a reaction force which stops you falling through it.
R isn't always the same as W, that's only true when the ground is flat. Also, there could be situations where W isn't the only force in play (for example, steel block being pulled to the floor by a magnet). Then R would be the reaction against both the weight and the magnetic attraction.
Why did the vector cross the road?
It wanted to be normal.
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