alleryStart learning →How does static friction respond as you push harder on a crate that will not move?
AIt stays fixed at one value
BIt grows to match your push
CIt falls as the push increases
DIt reverses to help the push
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. It grows to match your push
1. While the crate stays still, the net force on it must be zero.
2. So static friction grows to equal the push and points in the opposite direction.
3. It keeps matching the push until it reaches the largest value it can supply.
4. Beyond that point the crate slips and kinetic friction takes over.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 5 "Further Applications of Newton's Laws: Friction, Drag, and Elasticity", section Kinetic Friction_
Keep practising Friction, Drag, and Elasticity
Browse all Friction, Drag, and Elasticity questions for EmSAT Achieve, or explore more Physics topics.
Related questions
What happens to the downward force of gravity on a skydiver as their speed rises?Which two forces act on a skydiver falling through air, once buoyancy is ignored?What would a nearly friction-free environment save on a large scale?What kind of characteristics of friction are the simple rules taught at school?Which of these is the standard everyday example of kinetic friction acting?Why do two surfaces become warm when they are rubbed together?Adding a heavy box on top of a crate makes it harder to push. Why?Oiling a concrete floor makes a crate easier to move. What has changed?