Contents
Key Stage 2
Meaning
Friction is a force that slows things down when two surfaces are touching each other.
About Friction
- Friction can only happen when two surfaces are touching so it is called a "Contact Force".
- Friction depends on the texture of a surface.
- The rougher a surface is, the more friction an object will experience when it is moving.
- The smoother a surface is, the less friction an object will experience.
- A surface could be described as high friction or low friction.
- Sometimes a low friction surface is called "slippery".
Experiments
Friction and Shoes
- Good shoes are designed to have a high friction surface on the sole. Take off one of your shoes and look at the bottom of your shoe with a magnifying glass.
You might try to answer the following questions:
- Who has the slipperiest shoes and how do slippery shoes look different from shoes that are not slippery?
- When shoes get older, how does the bottom of the shoes look different and do shoes get more slippery or less slippery as they get old?
Friction of different surfaces
- 1. Take a flat piece of wood and attach spring to one end.
- 2. Pull the piece of wood by the spring along the carpet and measure how long the spring is as you drag it.
- 3. Repeat this by dragging it along a table and the tarmac outside.
- 4. Write down which surface made the spring go longest. That is the surface with most friction.
Key Stage 3
Meaning
Friction is a force that acts to slow an object down when two solid surfaces are in contact.
About Friction
- Friction is a contact force.