coefficient of friction

British  

noun

1. mechanical engineering the force required to move two sliding surfaces over each other, divided by the force holding them together. It is reduced once the motion has started

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coefficient of friction Scientific  

1. A measure of the amount of resistance that a surface exerts on or substances moving over it, equal to the ratio between the maximal frictional force that the surface exerts and the force pushing the object toward the surface. The coefficient of friction is not always the same for objects that are motionless and objects that are in motion; motionless objects often experience more friction than moving ones, requiring more force to put them in motion than to sustain them in motion.

2. ◆ The static coefficient of friction is the coefficient of friction that applies to objects that are motionless.

3. ◆ The kinetic or sliding coefficient of friction is the coefficient of friction that applies to objects that are in motion.

4. See also drag friction

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Example Sentences

The result, says Gilchrist, is cohesion that generates a negative angle of repose due to a negative coefficient of friction.

From Science Daily

The coefficient of friction between glass and ice could then be calculated from the ratio of the two measured forces.

From Nature

Still, and despite their low coefficient of friction, the posts became festooned with fans, all of whom would be classified by taxonomists as people.

From Scientific American

Of course, maximum grip on the desert is low, with a coefficient of friction of about 0.2, based on previous experience.

From BBC

One of the prerequisites is a strong fault surface—a plate boundary or rock fracture with a high coefficient of friction, like a skid-resistant pad under an area rug.

From The New Yorker