Abstract

The goal of this activity is to get children to explore and understand
the effects of friction on rolling motion. Most elementary school
children have experienced friction through playing with toy cars on
carpet versus tile, but really do not have an idea of what friction is
and its effects are. In our activity, children experiment with
friction by experimenting with different materials to determine which
materials create the fastest rolling object and which create the
slowest. They test their predictions and use their knowledge to
attempt to roll over or "save" objects in the roller's path. More
advanced children can vary the slope of the rolling ramp to understand
static and dynamic friction. Concepts taught in this activity are
related to disk brakes and other everyday applications.