What is friction?
Friction is a contact force that slows things down when two surfaces rub together. The rougher the surface, the more friction — so a ball stops sooner on carpet than on smooth vinyl.
Run your friction investigation
Question and prediction
Q1. Write the question your test will answer (about the surface and how far the ball travels).
Q2. Which surface do you predict the ball will travel furthest on? Why?
Make it fair
Q3. Complete the fair-test plan.
| Part of the test | What I will do |
|---|---|
| I will CHANGE | |
| I will MEASURE | |
| I will KEEP THE SAME |
Results
Q4. Record how far the ball travelled on each surface.
| Surface | Distance travelled (m) |
|---|---|
Q5. Draw a column graph of your results. Label both axes and give it a title.
Conclusion and evaluation
Q6. On which surface was there the most friction? How does your data show this?
Q7. Was your test fair? What is one thing you would improve next time?