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Asked by rich to Ellen, Elliot, Hazel, Rupesh, Thomas on 13 Jun 2016.
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Elliot Jokl answered on 13 Jun 2016:
Hello, and thanks for the question!
If you try to start driving when friction is already gone, you wouldn’t move! The engine of the car turns the wheels, and the tyres have to grip the road in order for the car to start moving forward. If there is no friction, tyres cannot grip the road! This is why it is very hard to start a car moving if it is on ice.
If you are already moving before we take away friction, you will just keep on going at the same speed because there is nothing to slow you down. I don’t think you would be able to change direction either, because steering also uses the grip between the road and the tyres to work.
So all in all, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have to go in a straight line, forever.
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Thomas Biggans answered on 13 Jun 2016:
It would be difficult to drive a car without any friction because we need the force of friction to change direction and speed. However there are scientists trying to achieve no friction transport in the form of a train.
Because a train would run on some form of track we don’t have to worry about not being able to steer and we can use magnets to push the train forward or pull the train back without having to use friction . Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) trains have already been built and are being tested in Japan. A new concept is Hyperloop where the train is in a sealed tube because the air in the tube has been removed they’d be even less friction so even faster speeds!
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