What is coefficient of kinetic friction

Coefficient of kinetic friction is a well known word in physics. When an object is in motion, the resisting force will try to stop the motion of the object. The friction occurs between the two surfaces when they are in motion relatively to each other. The friction force between the surfaces transforms the kinetic energy into heat energy. From the coefficient of friction, the idea of the roughness of the surface can be determined.

To measure the frictional force, coefficient of friction is used. There are three types of coefficient of frictions i.e. coefficient of kinetic friction, coefficient of static friction and coefficient of rolling friction.

Here, the topic is coefficient of kinetic friction. The expression for the coefficient of kinetic friction is,

Here,  is the kinetic friction force,  is the coefficient of kinetic friction and  is the normal force acting on the object.

Thus, the coefficient of friction between the two surfaces can be defined as the ratio of the frictional force between the object and the surface to the normal force action on the object.

The coefficient of kinetic friction has no unit as the coefficient of kinetic friction is the ratio of two forces.

When the coefficient of friction value is high, the stopping distance of the moving object will become less. On the other hand, if the coefficient of friction value is low, the stopping distance of the moving object will become high.