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Understanding Friction

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Understanding Friction

Objects sliding with friction arrows

📚 Part 1: Understanding Friction

1. What is friction?

A force that makes things move faster

A force that stops or slows things when they rub together

A type of energy

Something that only happens in water

2. Which surface would cause the MOST friction?

Smooth glass

Ice

Sandpaper

Polished metal

3. Fill in the blanks:

Friction is a __________ that happens when two __________ rub against each other.

4. True or False: Friction is always bad because it makes things harder to move.

True

False

5. Which of these are examples of helpful friction? (Tick all that apply)

Walking without slipping

Car brakes stopping a vehicle

Sliding down a slippery slide

Gripping a pencil to write

✏️ Part 2: Applying Your Knowledge

6. Explain why shoes have textured (bumpy) bottoms instead of smooth bottoms.
7. Predict what would happen if there was NO friction at all in your classroom. Describe two problems this would cause.
8. Think of a time when you would WANT less friction. Explain your example.

🔬 Part 3: Investigation Results

9. From our friction experiment, which surface made the block slide the fastest? Circle your answer:

Smooth plastic     Sandpaper     Carpet

10. Draw a simple diagram showing friction. Include arrows to show the direction of movement and the friction force.
11. Complete this sentence using scientific language:

Rough surfaces create __________ friction than smooth surfaces because __________________.

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