No, the falling object will not experience a force of friction in this scenario. Friction requires contact between surfaces, and in this case, the object is not touching the walls of the tube, and there is no air present to cause friction.
Here’s why:
Friction requires contact:
Friction is a force that opposes motion and arises when two surfaces are in contact and sliding or attempting to slide across each other.
No contact in the scenario:
The problem states that the object is not touching the walls of the tube, meaning there’s no contact between the object and the tube’s surface to generate friction.
No air resistance:
The problem also specifies that the air has been completely removed from the tube, eliminating any potential air resistance or fluid friction that could normally oppose the object’s motion.
Therefore, in this ideal situation, the only force acting on the object would be gravity, causing it to accelerate downwards until it reaches the bottom of the tube.