Topic Friction
Asked 6 times across 2 UPSC exams over 39 years (1985–2024), peaking in 2024.
Key insights
- Most tested in NDA — 4 of 6 PYQs
- Most asked in 2024
- Recurs across 5 years (1985–2024)
How it travelled across exams
First appearance in each exam — the same idea, reframed.
CSE 1985 → NDA 2021
How the concept evolved
Rising — more than half its appearances (4 of 6) are since 2016.
Related concepts
Ideas UPSC tests alongside this one — keep exploring.
Sample questions
You've seen the pattern — here are a few of the actual PYQs.
NDA2024
A block of mass 2.0 kg slides on a rough horizontal plane surface. Let the speed of the block at a particular instant is 10 m/s. It comes to rest after travelling a distance of 20 m. Which one of the following could be the magnitude of the frictional force ?
- A 10 N
- B 20 N
- C 40 N
- D 50 N
Answer key not yet available (pending official release)
Science & Technology › Physics & Chemistry
NDA2024
Which one of the following about different frictional forces is correct?
- A Kinetic friction > Static friction > Rolling friction
- B Static friction > Rolling friction > Kinetic friction
- C Static friction > Kinetic friction > Rolling friction ✓
- D Static friction > Kinetic friction = Rolling friction
✓ Correct answer: (C)
Science & Technology › Physics & Chemistry
NDA2023
One block of 2·0 kg mass is placed on top of another block of 3·0 kg mass. The coefficient of static friction between the two blocks is 0·2. The bottom block is pulled with a horizontal force F such that both the blocks move together without slipping. Taking acceleration due to gravity as 10 m/s^2, the maximum value of the frictional force is :
- A 50 N
- B 30 N
- C 4 N
- D 10 N ✓
✓ Correct answer: (D)
Science & Technology › Physics & Chemistry
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