What is the average friction on a 200 g plastic ball rolling down a frictionless incline and coming to rest after rolling across a table?

To determine the average friction acting on the 200 g plastic ball as it rolls down a frictionless incline and comes to rest after rolling across a table, it's essential to first consider the forces at play.

When the ball rolls down the incline, it accelerates due to gravity, converting potential energy into kinetic energy. Once it reaches the table, it starts to lose speed due to the frictional force acting opposite to its motion. The frictional force is responsible for bringing the ball to a stop.

To compute the average friction, we would need to consider the mass of the ball and the deceleration experienced as it comes to rest. The gravitational force on the ball can be calculated using the formula ( F = m \cdot g ), where ( m ) is the mass in kilograms (0.2 kg) and ( g ) is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.81 m/s²).

Thus, the weight of the ball is approximately ( 0.2 \times 9.81 = 1.962 ) N. The average friction can be seen as a fraction of this weight, representing the force that opposes motion as the ball encounters surface resistance.

The provided average friction value of approximately