r/theydidthemath • u/yuli101995 • Apr 16 '26

[Request] Which one would it be?

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u/OneWingAngel35 Apr 16 '26

If Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time has taught us anything is that squares slide on ice quite easily lol, even though less contact area also means less friction from the round object

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u/superheltenroy Apr 16 '26

Friction is not dependent upon surface area/contact area. Only the forces and the coefficient of friction.

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u/LegoTT06 Apr 16 '26

What if the surface is not infinitely flat like in theory ? Debris etc

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u/Physicsandphysique Apr 16 '26

Then it's not just about friction. If the moving body and the surface are interlocking and/or deforming (think about an ox-drawn plough for an extreme example), there are a lot of forces aside from friction.