Frictional Forces

Introduction

Friction is a force that resists motion. It involves objects in contact with each other, and it can be either useful or harmful. Friction helps when you want to slow or stop a bicycle, but it is harmful when it causes wear on the parts of a machine. In this activity, you will study the effects of surface smoothness and the nature of materials in contact on sliding friction. You will use a computer-interfaced Force Sensor to measure frictional force, in Newtons (N), as you pull a block across different surfaces.

Objectives

In this experiment, you will

• Measure sliding friction.
• Measure friction between a wooden block and smooth-surface wood.
• Measure friction between a wooden block and rough-surface wood.
• Make predictions about other surfaces.
• Test your predictions.

Sensors and Equipment

This experiment features the following Vernier sensors and equipment.

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Additional Requirements

You may also need an interface and software for data collection. What do I need for data collection?