Abstract

Equilibrium is the state in which the competing influences of a system are balanced. In this experiment, four activities were conducted to study equilibrium namely Equilibrant Force, First Condition for Equilibrium, Locating the Center of Gravity and Second Condition of Equilibrium. The % Error obtained for the following activities were 14.13% and 2.35% for Activity 1, 4.90% for Activity 2 and 7.52% for Activity 4.

Friction is the resistance to motion of one object moving relative to another. [1] There are three laws of motion known today. These laws are: (A) frictional force being independent of the area of contact,
(B) frictional force being proportional to the load, and (C) frictional force being independent of the speed of movement. [2]

Friction may be subdivided into two types namely Static Friction and Kinetic Friction. Static force of friction is the force of friction between two objects when there is no motion. On the other hand, the Kinetic force of friction is the force of friction between two objects when there is motion.[3]

Air resistance, also called drag, are the forces that are in opposition to the relative motion of an object through the air. Drag forces act opposite to the oncoming flow velocity. Drag, unlike other resistive forces, depends directly on velocity. Drag is the component of the net aerodynamic force acting opposite to the direction of the movement and the forces working perpendicular are called lift. Drag is overcome by thrust.[4]

The coefficient of friction is a number which represents the friction between two surfaces. Between two equal surfaces, the coefficient of friction will be the same. [5]

In this experiment, the group should be able to observe the following objectives: (1) To verify the laws of friction and (2)observe the effect of air resistance on falling papers.

Sources:
[1]http://www.livescience.com/37161-what-is-friction.html

[2]http://www.ealmanac.com/2419/numbers/the-three-laws-of-friction/

[3]http://theory.uwinnipeg.ca/physics/force/node6.html

[4]http://www.universetoday.com/73315/what-is-air-resistance/#ixzz2leyVLbBQ

[5]http://www.mathsrevision.net/advanced-level-maths-revision/mechanics/coefficient-friction