Needham Physics: Solve for Coefficient of Friction

Here, we start to tie together kinematics with dynamics. Kinematics is the study of motion, without reference to the forces that cause that motion. But dynamics brings in forces, which are the things capable of causing motion in the first place. Without dynamics, there would BE no kinematics! So it's a good link to have. The link between dynamics and kinematics (between forces and motion) is provided by the all-powerful Newton's Second Law, which states that the net force acting on an object will be equal to its mass times its acceleration. In this relatively simple problem, there is only ONE force involved in the "net" force, so it's pretty easy to calculate. We also get the nice bonus of applying the definition of the frictional force!
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