Question

What do you mean by static friction?

Answer 1

In order to answer this question, to know the definition of static friction, we will go deeply through the concept of static friction and then we will also give an example to understand the given term “ Static Friction “.

Complete step-by-step solution:
A force that holds an object at rest is known as static friction. The friction encountered when persons attempt to move a stationary object on a surface without actually causing any relative motion between the body and the surface it is on is known as static friction.
It is defined as the frictional force that properly balances the applied force for the duration of the body's stationary state. The static frictional force is a self-regulating force, which means that it will always be equal to and opposite to the applied force.
Or in other words, we can say that- The frictional force between the surfaces of two substances when they are not in motion is known as static friction. As a result, instead of being in relative motion, the bodies are stationary in regard to each other in this scenario. However, as soon as the body begins to move, the kinetic frictional force comes into play.
Now, we will explain the static friction by the help of an example:-
The force of static friction balances the applied force of the push when the couch is stationary. As a result, as the applied force acts in the opposite direction, the static friction force builds linearly until it reaches a maximum value and the object begins to move. After that, the object encounters kinetic friction rather than static friction as a source of resistance.

Note: Molecular interactions between the object and the surface it is on cause static friction. As a result, the amount of static friction provided by different surfaces varies. The difference in static friction for different surfaces is described by the coefficient of friction, which is $\mu s$.