A man pushes a wooden box across the floor at a constant speed of 0.5 m/s by applying a horizontal force of 200N. Wht is the value of the force of friction on the box? Explain your answer.
Since their is no acceleration, the force of friction(Fk) is = the hor. force applied:
Fap - Fk = M*a
Fap - Fk = M*0 = 0
Fk = Fap = 200 N.
To find the value of the force of friction on the box, we need to use the equation of motion that relates the force of friction to the applied force and the acceleration of the object. In this case, since the box is moving at a constant speed, we can assume that the acceleration is zero. Therefore, the equation we'll use is:
force of friction = applied force
The applied force is given as 200N, so the force of friction on the box is also 200N.
To arrive at this answer, we need to understand that when an object is moving at a constant speed (which means the acceleration is zero), the net force acting on it is also zero. In this case, the applied force is opposed by the force of friction. Therefore, to keep the box moving at a constant speed, the applied force must be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force of friction.