Why does frictional force increase when surfaces in contact are polished beyond a certain extent?
Answer Hello pooja, I learned as a kid that my mother’s freshly waxed floors were slippery. Walking on them wearing stockings was hazardous, meaning potentially fun. This memory, and similar observations since childhood, made me skeptical of your proposal. But you included the phrase “beyond a certain extent” in your question. The wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction indicates that understanding of friction has evolved. See the opening section where it says “Contrary to earlier explanations, kinetic friction is now understood not to be caused by surface roughness but by chemical bonding between the surfaces”. But I didn’t find anything there related to your proposition — one way or the other. Both sources I found that did mention the relation of friction and increasing smoothness, or polish, indicate the opposite affect — like that waxed floor and my stockinged feet. The page http://www.varmintal.net/afric.htm discusses friction between stainless steel and brass. As b
