The problem you're asking about involves understanding the relationship between static friction and the forces acting on an object.

The key point here is that the maximum static friction force, $f_s$, is proportional to the normal force, $F_N$, acting on the object. This is mathematically represented by:

$f_s = \mu_s F_N$

where:

• $\mu_s$ is the coefficient of static friction, and
• $F_N$ is the normal force, which is the force exerted perpendicular to the surfaces in contact (in this case, the block and the table).

When you push down on the block, you increase the normal force $F_N$ because you're adding an additional force to the weight of the block. Since $f_s$ is proportional to $F_N$, increasing the normal force increases the maximum possible static friction.

Answer:

The correct statement is A: "The maximum static friction should be more when we push down on the block."

Would you like more details, or have any questions?

Here are some related questions to explore this concept further:

1. What happens to the maximum static friction if the block is on an inclined plane?
2. How does the coefficient of static friction, $\mu_s$, change between different surfaces?
3. Can pushing the block horizontally change the normal force?
4. How is the static friction force different from the kinetic friction force?
5. How can you experimentally determine the coefficient of static friction between two surfaces?

Tip: Static friction only resists motion up to a certain limit. Once that limit is exceeded, kinetic friction takes over, which is usually smaller than static friction.