With a simple demonstration activity, students are introduced to the concept of friction as a force that impedes motion when two surfaces are in contact. Then, in the Associated Activity (Sliding and Stuttering), they work in teams to use a spring scale to drag an object such as a ceramic coffee cup along a table top or the floor. By modifying the bottom surface of the cup, students can find out what kinds of surfaces generate more or less friction. They also discover that both static and kinetic friction are involved when an object initially at rest is caused to slide across a surface.

Concepts

friction, kinetic friction, static friction, stem

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

friction force, integrated teaching and learning program and laboratory, ohio p.em.1, teachengineering, teachengineering: discovering friction, teachengineering: discovering friction/ohio p.em.1, contact friction

Show More Show Less

Classroom Considerations

• Knovation Readability Score: 5 (1 low difficulty, 5 high difficulty)
• The intended use for this resource is Instructional