A 300-kg bear grasping a vertical tree slides down at a constant velocity. The friction force between the tree and the bear is

Answer 1

Hi Cody, Here's how to answer this type of problem.

First, what are the forces on the bear? The first is its weight mg, acting downward.

The second force is the frictional force, F, between the bear and the tree, acting opposite to the bear's motion, that is, vertically upward. Since the bear is moving at a constant speed, it isn't accelerating, so the net force acting on it must be zero => F = mg

= 300 x 9.8

= 2,940 Newtons