As Alan is taking a shower, the soap falls out of the dish and Alan steps on it with a force of 500 N. If Alan slides forward and the frictional force between the soap and the tub is 50 N, what is the coefficient of friction between these two surfaces?
To find the coefficient of friction between the soap and the tub, we can use the formula:
Coefficient of friction = Frictional force / Normal force
In this case, the normal force is equal to the force with which Alan steps on the soap, which is 500 N.
Given that the frictional force is 50 N, we can substitute the values into the formula:
Coefficient of friction = 50 N / 500 N
Now we can simplify the equation:
Coefficient of friction = 1/10
Therefore, the coefficient of friction between the soap and the tub is 1/10 or 0.1.