Elementary Students Investigate Frictional Forces
Why do some shoes let you slide across the floor while others stop you in your tracks? The answer is friction, of course! The force of friction between the sole of a shoe and the surface below it can easily be measured by dragging the shoe with a force sensor. In this investigation, “What a Drag!”, students use Go Direct® Force and Acceleration and our free app, Graphical Analysis™ 4, to collect and analyze their data.
This investigation can be found in our new e-book, Investigating Force, one of seven new elementary science e-books. Each of these e-books uses only one type of sensor, making it more affordable to introduce your students to data-collection technology. In addition to Investigating Force, other new e-books include Investigating Motion, Investigating Temperature, Investigating Magnetism, Investigating Light, Investigating Voltage, and Investigating Gas Pressure.
The experiments found in these new e-books take a more classic approach to learning as opposed to the three-dimensional approach used in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). However, they still include correlations to the NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), Science and Engineering Practices, and Crosscutting Concepts.
If you think you would use the experiments in several of these new e-books, consider our lab book Elementary Science with Vernier. All of the experiments in the seven smaller e-books are included.