Fifth graders experimentally determine the relationship of friction to the functioning of machines. They demonstrate that rollers can decrease frictional force and increase speed and research to discover other ways that friction can be...

Pupils investigate coefficient of friction with respect to surface area and applied force in contact with the sliding force.

Students measure frictional force existing between a moving cup and the surface it slides on. They conduct the experiment and answer discussion questions.

Students explore friction and the way it impacts wind over the ocean compared to over land.

This site is on the science and art of skateboard design, including equipment, tricks, glossary of terms, and a live webcast of a skateboard performance.

Explore the forces at work when you try to push a filing cabinet. Create an applied force and see the resulting friction force and total force acting on the cabinet. Charts show the forces, position, velocity, and acceleration vs. time....

Students use LEGO MINDSTORMS robotics to help conceptualize and understand the force of friction. Specifically, they observe how different surfaces in contact result in different frictional forces. A LEGO robot is constructed to pull a...

Students measure and analyze forces that act on vehicles pulling heavy objects while moving at a constant speed on a frictional surface. They study how the cars interact with their environments through forces, and discover which...

Students learn first-hand the relationship between force, area and pressure. They use a force sensor built from a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT kit to measure the force required to break through a paper napkin. An interchangeable top at the end of...

Students learn about the concept of pushing, as well as the relationship between force and mass. Students practice measurement skills using pan scales and rulers to make predictions about mass and distance. A LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robot is...

By taking a look at the energy of motion all around us, students learn about the types of energy and their characteristics. They first learn about the two simplest forms of mechanical energy: kinetic and potential energy, as illustrated...

This is part of a lesson on Newton's Laws of Motion that focuses on inertia and mass. It restates Newton's first law of motion. The lesson also gives a helpful visual description concerning friction.

Explore sports science and see how many points can you score with your bottle caps in Ruff's take on table hockey.

This review from the Glenbrook South High School provides a series of questions on various topics associated with static electricity (such as electrical insulation). Answers and explanations are hidden, yet easily accessed from within a...

What is friction? Illustrated discussion of friction including the three types, its importance, and why it is avoided.