Teachers, save “Friction Experimenting” to assign it to your class.

Let's experiment with friction. Experiment one: Wearing socks on your feet, try sliding on a smooth floor (like tile or wood). Now try sliding on a textured floor (try a carpeted area or on a rug). Which surface is easier to slide on? Why do you think that might be? Experiment two: Use a slide if you have one nearby or build a small ramp outside. Find some objects like rocks or use toys that have a little weight. You will also need construction paper, wax paper, aluminum foil and some tape. Place your objects on the slide or ramp and notice how they slide down. You can try counting as they go down. Now wrap your object in one of the materials you have like wax paper (you make need to use the tape to secure it). Place the wrapped object on the ramp or slide. Does it go down the slide differently? Faster or slower? Try the experiment again with each of the materials you have. What do you notice? If you do have a slide, you can try sitting on each of the materials as you slide. Do any of the materials make you slide faster or slower (you might want to try sitting on a towel for another option)? Use the microphone tool to tell me about your experiments. Have fun exploring friction!