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Discuss:

You can’t make the slide steeper, but you want to go down the slide faster.

What else could you change? (Think of your favorite slides.)

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Video trouble?

Discuss:

Materials that have low friction are slippery.

Can you name some materials with low friction?

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Video trouble?

Discuss: (question 1 of 3)

What happens when you put all the sliders on the slide when it’s flat, and then slowly raise one end of the slide?

Reveal answer

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Discuss: (question 2 of 3)

What happened when you raced a cardboard slider with 5 pennies against one with no pennies?

Reveal answer

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Discuss: (question 3 of 3)

What questions did you come up with? What happened when you experimented to answer them?

Reveal answer

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TEACHERS — NEED A NATURAL STOPPING POINT?

The next video describes ways to do a “fair test” to decide which slider has the least friction. After the video, groups of students will use the Friction Investigation Worksheet and figure out their own method for testing. Then the class will discuss their results.

The remainder of this lesson will take at least 30 minutes. If your time is limited, this is a natural stopping point. Have students write their names on materials, then collect them and resume the activity next science class.

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Video trouble?

Discuss: (question 1 of 3)

A claim is a statement that you think is true.

Who wants to make a claim about which material has the most friction? (That's the one that slides the worst.)

What’s your evidence?

Does anyone want to make a different claim?

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Discuss: (question 2 of 3)

Who wants to make a claim about which material has the least friction?

What’s your evidence?

Does anyone want to make a different claim?

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Discuss: (question 3 of 3)

If you had time in the future to do more friction experiments, what would you do differently?

What other tests would you want to try?

Why?

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Reading

Assessments

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# Extensions

Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & Exploration you just completed.

Lesson Assessment and Answer Key
Videos with questions: These two videos test your powers of observation.
Reading: Scientists Solve a Sticky Problem

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# Funny Videos

Can you figure out what's going on in this video? What evidence supports your answers?

Why are these cars sliding sideways?

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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Lesson Image

little girl on slide by rx2web , used under CC BY

Exploration

Ballot Box by FutUndBeidl , used under CC BY

sliding downhill by CS Roth

San Francisco panorama by Steven Damron , used under CC BY

playground set by Greg Goebel , used under CC BY-SA

stone slide by Joshua Stacy , used under CC BY

squiggle slide by F Delventhal , used under CC BY

Hickory Hills opening by City of Marietta, GA , used under CC BY

long slide by Seth Werkheiser , used under CC BY-SA

Burnham Thorpe playground by Elliot Brown , used under CC BY

big yellow slide by Jason Lander , used under CC BY

aquapark steep drop by Tim Sheerman , used under CC BY

Insano by Bloggedd , used under CC BY

double slides by Pilgrim Fatima , used under CC BY-SA

going down by N@ncyN@nce , used under CC BY

toddler slide by Today's Classroom , used under CC BY

friction by cdxglobal

wood slide by Little Wagon Train

playground slide by KENPEI , used under CC BY-SA

friction surface by Stack Exchange Inc , used under CC BY-SA

jeans by M62 , used under CC BY-SA

bottle cap collection by Carlos Jose

legendary slip n fly by Brice Milleson , used under CC BY

old slide by Corrine Klug

Credits

“Creativity, engagement, accountability=learning! Kids learned a lot about friction, but also about the importance of collecting clear data/evidence, and using evidence to justify claims. My favorite so far!”

“Having the students make a claim based on their data was perfect. They also included their observations and also formulated question to investigate. Nice to have a program using the NGSS science practices.”

“My kids had a great time coming up with different materials to use on their slides. This lesson really helped them to understand the concept of friction as well as how to easily test it on a homemade slide. Very fun and easy-to-do lesson! Mystery Science definitely makes introducing physics fun.”

“The kids loved the freedom to experiment on their own and come up with their own experiments. They don't know it, but this is teaching them how to ask the right questions and discover independently.”

“The group interaction/learning was powerful. This is a perfect hands-on lesson for third grade students. The experimentation/reflection/recording can help stuents to see that science involves reading, writing, quantifying, etc. I found it took my fairly easy-to-manage class twice the suggested time.”

“My kiddos have a long way to go learning how to collaborate and discuss but they try. It would be great to have a lesson about how scientists work and use the scientific method when experimenting!”

“This activity was a little stressful to get prepared for, but once I gathered the materials (really not that hard, but I just put it off too long) the lesson was wonderful. We spread it over two days and the kids really enjoyed it and walked away with a great understanding of friction!”

“Tying the topic to the kids' world of play made it very relevant. My students were thrilled to be able to create the simple model and make their own discoveries during the activity. (It required little prep work on my part. Yea!)”

“It was fantastic!!! We spent 3 days on it. There was so much extra stuff that could be done. I really like that I can make it a single day project or extend it and go into more depth. Thanks for creating this awesome site. It make my life as a homeschool mom of three so much easier. And I just love the quality of the lessons!”

“My kids loved being creative with the sliders. They combined different materials together to see what could go down the fastest! Thanks for another amazing lesson. We can't wait to start the next mystery. :)”

“My kids loved learning about friction through this lesson and I heard back from mothers that some of them went home and tried the activities again to show their families! Best news a teacher wants to hear. Thank you so much!”

Friction Investigation worksheet	30 copies
Hardcover Books Used to prop up one end of the slide.	Details 24 books
Rulers	8 rulers
Chipboard You can also use recycled cardboard cut into 1-inch squares.	Details 16 square inches
Craft Foam Can also use thin styrofoam.	Details 16 square inches
Glue Dots Tape will also work. We prefer sticky glue dots because they are easier to distribute in a classroom.	Details 160 dots
Large Plastic Buttons You can also use recycled plastic bottle caps.	Details 16 buttons
Sandpaper	16 square inches
Stiff Cardboard Needs to measure at least 12" by 16." Recycled is fine. The lid of a cardboard file storage box works well.	Details 8 pieces
Pennies Used as weights on the "sliders."	Details 96 coins

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How can you go faster down a slide?

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How can you go faster down a slide?

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Video

Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & Exploration you just completed.

Image & Video Credits

Featured Reviews

Activity Prep

Prepare Testing Materials

Make Model Slides

Separate Materials for Classroom Distribution

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