Activity for Grade 5/6

Adapted from:
Boissonneault, A. (2016). Friction - Science - Educatall. Educatall. Retrieved
16 April 2016, from http://www.educatall.com/page/406/Friction.html

Friction
Grade: 5/6
Students are to work in groups of 3, working their way around the rotation of
manipulations. Students are also asked to ensure they use the fair test
approach when completing their activities and are to create a lotus diagram
before they begin each activity.
Curriculum Links:
(VCSSU073) - Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to
inform personal and community decisions and to solve problems that directly affect
peoples lives
(VCSIS084) - Decide which variables should be changed, measured and controlled
in fair tests and accurately observe, measure and record data
(VCSIS088) - Communicate ideas and processes using evidence to develop
explanations of events and phenomena and to identify simple cause-and-effect
relationships

Hypotheses: Ask children why we slide on ice but not on pavement. Ask them
to name materials which are slippery and others which aren't. If they have
limited ideas, you may name various materials and have them tell you if they
are slippery or not. What makes a surface slippery?

Material:
A wooden plank
A smooth plastic tray (large)
Objects made of various materials which provide a flat surface (eraser, penny,
a die, a piece of cardboard, a small plastic plate, etc.)
An ice cube
Hand soap and water
Manipulation:
This experiment is made up of three sets of brief manipulations. They may be
executed one after the other or separately.

1
2
3

1st set:
Align all the objects, except the ice cube, at one end of the wooden plank.
Gently raise this end of the plank until the objects begin sliding. Which objects
slide easily? Which ones stay put?
Repeat the same manipulations, placing the objects on the plastic tray instead
of the wooden plank. Is there a difference? Is the result the same?

1
2
1
2
3

2nd set:
Gather all the objects, including the ice cube. Stand next to a large, smooth
table which does not have any other items on it.
One after the other, try to make the objects slide on the table. Which one
slides best? Which one slides the least?
3rd set:
You will not need the objects for this part of the experiment. You will only need
your hands, water, and a small quantity of hand soap.
Rub your hands together, gently at first and then more quickly. What do you
feel?
Next, wet your hands and add a small amount of hand soap. Rub your hands
together again. What happens?
Explanation: When two things are rubbed together (like the objects on the
smooth surface or your hands), an invisible force is created. This invisible
force tries to stop the movement. It is called friction. It acts a little like invisible
glue.
In the first set of manipulations, the smoother objects slid easily on the
wooden plank. There was less friction between their surface and the plank's
surface. For the same reason, the objects slid even better on the plastic
surface.
In the second set of manipulations, you noticed that the ice cube slid much
better than the other objects. Do you know why? Upon melting, the ice cube
left a thin film of water between its surface and the table. This film reduced
friction, enabling the ice cube to move quickly.
In the third set of manipulations, you felt warmth when you rubbed your hands
together. The more you rubbed, the warmer your hands felt. This warmth is
the result of friction between your hands. When you did the same thing with
wet, soapy hands, the water reduced friction (just like the ice cube,
remember?) so heat production was also reduced!
Conclusion:

Students are to discuss their findings among their group and create a short 2
minute presentation using multimedia. This could either take the form of a
video or powerpoint or another option discussed with the teacher. In their
presentation students are to discuss their findings and make a conclusion
about friction. They are also to share with the class their lotus diagram to
show how they fair tested this experiment.