A force of 98 Newton is required to drag a body of mass 100 kg on ice. The coefficient of friction will be

The correct answer is 0.1.

This problem involves finding the coefficient of friction (μ) between a body and an icy surface. Let's work through it step by step.

Given Information:
Force required to drag the body (F) = 98 N
Mass of the body (m) = 100 kg
Acceleration due to gravity (g) = 9.8 m/s²

Step 1: Understand the concept of friction

When a body is dragged at a constant velocity on a surface, the applied force equals the frictional force. The frictional force is related to the normal force by the formula:

F=\mu \times N

where F is the frictional force, μ is the coefficient of friction, and N is the normal reaction force.

Step 2: Calculate the Normal Force (N)

Since the body is being dragged on a horizontal surface, the normal force equals the weight of the body:

N=m\times g=100\times 9.8=980\text{N}

Step 3: Apply the friction formula to find μ

Rearranging the friction formula to solve for μ:

\mu =\frac{F}{N}=\frac{98}{980}=0.1

Step 4: Verify the result

The coefficient of friction for ice is typically very low (between 0.01 and 0.1), which makes sense physically — ice is a very slippery surface. Our answer of 0.1 is consistent with this expectation and matches the upper end of the typical range for ice.

Therefore, the coefficient of friction = 0.1.