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3.2. Elasticity
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Consider pushing a heavy box across a wooden floor. The box bounces along
awkwardly with plenty of frictional resistance. If we took a piece of carpet,
turned it upside down and put the box on top, now the flexible hairs on the
carpet would fit into the gaps between the bumps, smoothing the ride and making
the box easier to push.
Fig. 3.2 Using elasticity to smooth the ride Now consider what would happen if we now had to push the box (with the carpet attached) across a carpet. The two sets of hair in the carpet would now entangle, actually increasing the friction. The algebra of this is as follows: Bumps + Bumps = Friction To increase or decrease friction, consider the elasticity in both surfaces. Think about how easy or not it is to move a vacuum cleaner around the house. Over carpet, a smooth metal plate would be the best bottom surface, over a smooth floor a bristle surround would be better. The whole picture is complicated by the fact that you have air flowing between the surfaces, but the principles are clear. (Note: This an example of a contradiction, as will be described in Chapter 5. You sometimes want smooth and you sometimes want fibrous/rough surfaces.)
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