Rolling cylinder on a horizontal plane

A cylinder on a horizontal plane, acted upon by a constant horizontal force, provides a variety of physical situations, which are helpful for understanding the behaviour and the role of friction in systems of particles. In our study, we consider rolling with and without slipping and establish the conditions for the frictional force to have the direction of the centre-of-mass velocity, contrary to the common idea that this force is always opposite to motion. In general, rolling without slipping requires static friction. However, under some conditions, rolling without slipping may take place even in the absence of a static frictional force. On the other hand, if the applied force and the kinetic frictional force fulfil certain relations, a pure translation of the cylinder may occur. The work done by friction is also discussed.