What if there’s a lot of friction? Have you ever felt that you need to give something a shove before it starts moving? You have to overcome static friction in order to experience kinetic friction. (Static friction is higher in magnitude than kinetic friction, generally speaking.)
The equation for determining the friction is: f = μ Fnormal, where μ = the coefficient of friction.
For kinetic friction: fkinetic = μk Fnormal, where μk = the coefficient of kinetic friction
For static friction: fstatic = μs Fnormal, where μs = the coefficient of kinetic friction
Scientists have to figure out μs and μk by doing experiments, and they compile that data in tables for others to look up when they need it. Here’s how you can do that very same experiment to determine the coefficient of friction between two surfaces:
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