A physics major is cooking breakfast when he notices that the frictional force between the steel spatula and the dry steel frying pan is only 0.100 N. Knowing the coefficient of kinetic friction between the two materials (0.3), he quickly calculates the normal force in newtons. What is it

Normal force = 3N

Explanation:

We are given;

Coefficient of kinetic friction friction; μ_k = 0.3

Frictional force; F_f = 0.1N

Now, the formula for frictional force is;

F_f = μ_k*N

Where μ_k is coefficient of friction and N is the normal force.

So, making N the subject, we have;

N = μ_k/F_f

Plugging in the relevant values to obtain;

N = 0.3/0.1

N = 3N