Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Slip Sliding Away: Experimenting With Friction
As you headed up the mountain to enjoy your last ski trip, you may have noticed a sign reading: Hazard. Icy Roads Ahead, Put On Your Chains. Putting chains on car tires increases the resistance between the tires and the road allowing the...
Science Museum of Minnesota
Science Museum of Minnesota: Thinking Fountain: Friction
The Thinking Fountain provides this simple experiment for understanding friction and it relationship to energy.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Whirl Y Bird vs. Whale Y Bird
Improve the design of a very simple aircraft, the whirlybird, and learn about hydrodynamics and biomimicry in this science experiment. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: The Swimming Secrets of Duck Feet
By comparing the feet of different water birds you can discover how they propel the birds through the water. This Science Buddies project show you how to modify swim fins to simulate ducks' feet, greebes' feet, and the feet of...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: You Nailed It! Hammering Force for Different Types of Wood
This Science Buddies project explains how to build a mechanism that will reproducibly swing a hammer so you can determine the amount of force needed to hammer a nail through various densities of wood. The Science Buddies project ideas...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Rubbing Up Against Static Electricity
A tried and true balloon activity is to rub a balloon on your head to make your hair stand up. Learn how the rubbing builds up static electricity using this experiment to see if the number of rubs makes a difference.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: What a Drag!
What makes some objects more streamlined than others? Find out which ordinary objects around your house are made to move smoothly through the water in this easy experiment. Which objects will produce the most drag when pulled through the...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Dirtmeister's Science Reporters: Friction
Step into Dirtmeister's Science Lab and become a Science Snooper! Work side by side with him as he sets out to answer the challenge question: "How does the force of friction affect us in our daily lives?"
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Activity: Frictional Force Experiment
A lesson about friction can be found on this website. Students will experiment to see how motion and frictional force affect the game of football.
Science Museum of Minnesota
Thinking Fountain: Friction
This science experiment provides a nice introduction to friction and bearings.
![Discovery Education: Science of Everyday Life: Don't Slip! [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Discovery Education: Science of Everyday Life: Don't Slip! [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
Discovery Education
Discovery Education: Science of Everyday Life: Don't Slip! [Pdf]
In this lesson plan students experience friction by sliding a block of wood over sandpaper. Students will experiment with frictional forces by measuring with spring scales or rubberbands.
Other
Teaching Ideas for Primary Teachers: Science Ideas
A great resource to discover fun new activities to use in your classroom. Activities are age-appropriate, and span several science topics.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Science of Sports: Better Baseball
Investigate how the application of various principles of physics can improve performance in sports. Perform experiments with Bernoulli's Principle and explore the sports-related inventions of a former physics teacher.
Teachers TryScience
Teachers Try Science: Let It Roll
Here's an easy experiment, using common household items, that will show you all ball bearings work.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Com Padre: Science on a Skateboard Applications of Newton's Third Law
In this lesson, learners explore Newton's Third Law of Motion. It involves an activity where they throw a medicine ball while seated on a wheeled cart with minimal friction between the cart and the floor. After completing the experiment,...
Center of Science and Industry
Cosi Columbus: Hover Cup
Science experiment in which you make a hovercraft, a machine that uses compressed air to do work, from a paper cup. Includes full list of materials, procedures, and scientific explanation of how air flow can minimize friction and cause...
Bill Nye
Bill Nye: Burn Rubber
This tutorial from Bill Nye explains how to perform a simple experiment with a rubber band. The experiment demonstrates how friction can dissipate energy as heat.
Museum of Science
Museum of Science and Industry: Online Science: Identify Your Fingerprints
Become a forensic investigator, and follow these simple step-by-step instructions to take, examine, and identify your fingerprints.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Riding the Gravity Wave
Students write a biographical sketch of an artist or athlete who lives on the edge, riding the gravity wave, to better understand how these artists and athletes work with gravity and manage risk. Note: The literacy activities for the...
Bill Nye
Bill Nye: Burn Rubber
Try this at-home science experiment to learn what happens when you repeatedly stretch a rubber band.