Friction on an inclined plane

As part of our project, we conducted a video analysis of rolling and sliding objects down an inclined plane to approximate the values of rolling and sliding frictions. The object is filmed while it is descending an inclined plane. The video is passed through a MATLAB code which crops out the area of interest and tracks the objects movement through various frames. The displacement is curve­fitted and velocity is derived by taking the gradient of displacement against time. Using another gradient of velocity against time, the acceleration of the object is approximated. This approximated value is used to determine the value of coefficient of friction through mathematical formulas derived from free body diagrams.

Graphic user interface: The graphic user interface developed by this group will soon be uploaded.

Also see: Sliding Friction as a regular experiment in our Smart Physics stream of experiments.