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Reader questions and feedback on physical science. Also refer to physics, chemistry, astronomy, electricity, magnetism, electromagnet, light, sound, waves, forces, work, energy, friction, heat, thermodynamics, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions Answers to Readers' Questions on Physical Science:Traction FrictionThe following 27 comments and questions have been sent in. They are listed according to date. List of first 10 items
Why do tractors have bigger wheels?QuestionAugust 28, 2009 Why do tractors have bigger wheels? KARTHIK - India 18221 AnswerIt is easier to go through loose dirt and mud with larger wheels. Weight distribution and front wheel driveQuestionAugust 26, 2009 Consider a front wheel drive vehicle,the maximum tractional force it can obtain is = mu*Rf (mu-coefficient of friction between tire and road,Rf-reaction at the front wheel). KARTHIK - India 18215 AnswerOne advantage of front wheel drive is that the torque on the front wheels pushes the real wheels downward. This additional force on the rear wheels does not cause that much more rolling friction. Distributing the weight to the center would add some amount to the rolling friction of the rear wheels, and would reduce the traction on the from wheels. Accelerating too fast could cause the front wheels to spin more than if the weight was over the front wheels. Why does the inner front tire wear fastest?QuestionAugust 25, 2009 Why the inner front wheel wears most than the others..? KARTHIK - India 18200 AnswerThe front tires usually wear out faster, because of the weight of the engine and the fact that the front brakes are used to stop the car. The inner tire can wear out faster because it turns sharper than the outer tire, when you go around a corner. The rubber wear more on the road with the sharper turn. How much friction is neede for a drag car?QuestionMarch 28, 2009 How high can the coefficient of friction be?such as for a drag racing car? Mark - USA 17522 AnswerIn theory, the coefficient of friction can be infinity, such that it is impossible to move the object. Why is friction important for racing cars?QuestionFebruary 16, 2009 why is friction important for racing cars? arshana - UAE 17279 AnswerFriction in racing car tires is necessary for acceleration and braking. Traction is used as an added grip, especially for going around corners. How do snow tires compare with regular tires?QuestionDecember 29, 2007 I have heard that stopping distances on dry pavement increase with snow tread tires versus all season tires. Do you have any information or statistics on this. Vic - Canada 15031 AnswerOne factor in stopping is the amount of rubber on the pavement (surface area). A snow tire has much less surface area than an all-season tire. The treads on a snow tire are meant to cut into the snow for added traction, as opposed to the all-weather tire, where the treads quickly fill up and actually reduce traction in snow. But the snow tire treads add little to stopping a car on dry pavement. Plus, there are more treads acting on the pavement with the all-weather tire. Do traction and rolling friction combine?QuestionDecember 26, 2007 Sir, A.K. - India 15025 AnswerStatic friction is required to start a wheel rolling, provided a torque is applied to its axle. If the wheel or tire has treads, it will also have traction friction, which is used when the surface does not have much static friction. For example, the treads on the tire help move the car forward when the street surface is wet. If you spin your wheels or brake, the treads take over since the static friction is not sufficient. Conserving momentum when stopping a carQuestionSeptember 25, 2007 The article on tire traction suggests that when a car stops all of its momentum is changed into heat. Is this true or do the tires transfer the cars momentum into the earth according to Newton's third law of motion, and only waste some of the momentum as heat when the tires slip. - USA 14438 AnswerWhen a car is moving forward, it has a certain kinetic energy and momentum. When the brakes are applied, slowing down and stopping the car, the friction of the brakes and tires changes the kinetic energy of the car into heat energy. The brakes, tires and road surface are all heated up. Racing around a curve on a motorcycleQuestionApril 4, 2007 Please answer this question for me concerning motorcycle tires and safety...The major factors that determine how much traction is available are? Jay - USA 13489 AnswerSince centrifugal force pulls you outward when going around a corner, the road may have a camber so that the force is more downward than outward. This increases the traction. The greater the speed around the curve, the greater the centrifugal force. What role does weight play in dragster traction?QuestionSeptember 28, 2006 With racing tires, there are no treads. They try to get the tires hot, so the rubber becomes somewhat sticky. Also, the tire pressure is lower, so there is more surface area on the track. The traction from the stickiness of the rubber is proportional to the area on the ground. Jaun - USA 12035 AnswerTraction in racing cars or dragsters is highly complex. The weight of the car increases the contact area of the tire, because the tire become distorted. Increasing tire pressure would compensate and decrease the surface area. SummaryHopefully, this reader feedback has helped provide information about Science issues. ResourcesThe following are some resources on this topic. WebsitesBooks
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