Sliders (for High School)
In this hands-on activity, students learn about two types of friction — static and kinetic — and the equation that governs them. They also measure the coefficient of static friction and the coefficient of kinetic friction experimentally.
Students investigate friction on a high school levelCopyright https://noschese180.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/img_20131024_170518657.jpg
Engineers who really understand friction designed a braking system to improve our safety. Have you been in a car when the driver stopped abruptly by slamming on the brakes, but, instead of stopping or skidding, the car started to chatter? That vibration was caused by the anti-lock brake system (ABS). Since engineers know that a non-skidding wheel has more traction than a skidding wheel, they designed a braking system that prevents the brakes from locking up, which can cause a vehicle to slide. By not skidding, the static friction is maximized and the driver can stop the car quickly without loss of control. Clearly, engineers really need to know their friction facts!
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Understand how static and kinetic friction are important concepts in engineering design
- Collect data to solve equations.
- Experimentally measure the coefficient of static friction and kinetic friction.
- Recognize that different surfaces have different frictional coefficients.