It's About Time
The Mu of the Shoe
What is mu? Emerging scientists explore the coefficient of sliding friction, or mu, and apply its concepts as they complete activities in the interesting lesson. They measure the sliding friction between soles of their own athletic shoes...
DiscoverE
Friction in Action
There's no need to have friction among instructors regarding the resource. Pupils investigate how marbles and coins slide along different surfaces which gives them information to estimate coefficients of friction.
Anchorage School District
Roller Coaster Project
Emerging engineers work in teams to design pipe insulation roller coasters for marbles that meet specific parameters. They are required to label along the track the areas where kinetic and potential energy are highest and lowest, where...
Teach Engineering
Ramp and Review (for High School)
Rolling for momentum. As part of a study of mechanical energy, momentum, and friction, class members experiment rolling a ball down an incline and having it collide with a cup. Groups take multiple measurements and perform...
Exploratorium
Marshmallow Puff Tube
Let physical science stars experience Newton's first law of motion by blowing marshmallows out of cardboard tubes! Using different lengths of tubing, they find that more force is needed to overcome increasing friction, and they have a...
DiscoverE
Build a Bobsled Racer
Host a design challenge of Olympic proportion! Junior engineers build their own bobsleds using simple materials. The activity focuses on kinetic and potential energy and how the center of mass affects motion on a downhill track....
Curated OER
The Physics of Sports: An 8th Grade Physical Science Project
Explore the relationship between sports and physics in a cross-curricular lesson. Middle and high schoolers prepare a multimedia presentation based on a chosen sport. They answer five physics vocabulary questions about how the laws of...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Conservation of Energy
By rolling marbles down a six-foot length of track, physical scientists determine how much energy is lost to heat. It is recommended that you opt for the foam pipe insulation track because more friction slows the marble, allowing...
It's About Time
Run and Jump
Has your class wondered how fast a human could run or how high they are capable of jumping? Help them understand these concepts as they explore acceleration and use an accelerometer to make semiquantitative measurements of acceleration...
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.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Frictional Forces
In this activity, students' will use a Dual range force sensor to measure the force required to pull a block across different surfaces. They will examine the results to see when more force is needed to move the block and understand the...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Effect of Friction on Objects in Motion
The funny thing about friction is that you couldn't get anywhere without it, yet it still acts to slow you down as you're getting there. Here is an easy project to measure the effects of friction.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Sliding Textbooks
In this culminating activity of the unit which highlights how forces play a role in engineering design and material choices, students explore and apply their knowledge of forces, friction, acceleration, and gravity in a two-part experiment.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Ramp and Review (For High School)
In this hands-on activity - rolling a ball down an incline and having it collide into a cup - the concepts of mechanical energy, work and power, momentum, and friction are all demonstrated. During the activity, students take measurements...
Other
Center for Education Partnerships: The Marble Roll
In this Science-athon, students try to make their marble roll the farthest across a flat surface, using their knowledge of forces, motion, and energy to guide them through their apparatus design. Teachers must enroll online.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Ramp and Review
In this hands-on activity - rolling a ball down an incline and having it collide into a cup - the concepts of mechanical energy, work and power, momentum, and friction are all demonstrated. During the activity, students take measurements...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Do Submarines Need Fins?
In this science project, you can investigate how submarines use stabilizing fins to move forward. Exploring friction and buoyant force you will get closer to understanding how these large ships function. Research resources are included...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Car Collision Testing & Tradeoffs: Don't Crack Humpty
Student groups are provided with a generic car base on which to design a device/enclosure to protect an egg as it rolls down a ramp at increasing slopes. During this activity, student teams design, build and test their prototype...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: How Far?
To learn how friction affects motion, students explore how different textures provide varying amounts of friction to objects moving across them. They build a tool to measure the amount of friction between a note card and various surfaces...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Ruff Ruffman Show: Bottle Cap Hockey
Explore sports science and see how many points can you score with your bottle caps in Ruff's take on table hockey.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Building Roller Coasters
In this hands-on activity students learn about the laws of physics by creating a marble roller coaster.
University of Oregon
Uo: Cannon Simulator: Experimental Instructions
This virtual experiment is designed to let the student measure the relation between muzzle velocity (which determines projectile energy), gravitational potential and the effects of frictional drag caused by wind speed blowing opposite to...