Friction, friction, friction

Grade Level: Elementary and Middle School

Objective: To "see" the effects of friction through a series of hands-on experiment

  

Experiment 1:

1-Take two pieces of paper

2-Crumple up one of the pieces of paper

3-Stand on a chair and drop both pieces 

4-Which falls fastest?  Why?

Experiment 2 (taken from Mythbusters):

1-Take two large paperback books (100+ pages)

2-Interlace the pages from both books together

3-Continue to lace the pages together until they're all combined

4-Try to pull the books apart.  What happens?  Why?

Experiment 3:

1-Fill a water bottle with rice

2-Stick a chopstick in the rice, pull it out.  How easy is it?

3-Tap the water bottle, till the rice settles.  Then add more rice.

4-Stick the chopstick into the rice again.  Try to pull it out.  What happens?  Why?

 

Lacing book pages together

 

Preparing experiments

Holding a water bottle up by a chopstick

We also experimented with this toy car, sending it down the ramp with different levels of friction