Question

An object with a mass of `16 kg` is lying still on a surface and is compressing a horizontal spring by `5/6 m`. If the spring's constant is `15 (kg)/s^2`, what is the minimum value of the surface's coefficient of static friction?

Answer 1

The coefficient of static friction is `=0.08`

Explanation:

The mass is `m=16kg`

The compression of the spring is `x=5/6m`

The spring constant is `k=15kgs^-2`

The reaction of the spring is `R=kx=15*5/6=12.5N`

The acceleration due to gravity is `g=9.8ms^-2`

The normal reaction of the object is

`N=mg=16*9.8=156.8N`

The coefficient of static friction is

`mu_s=R/N=12.5/156.8=0.08`