Education Technology


Frictional Forces

Activity Overview

Students pull a block across different surfaces and use a CBL 2™ with a force sensor to see how much force is needed to move the block. Then they will examine their results to see when more force was needed to move the block.

Key Steps

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    Students will pull a wooden block the same distance over the same time with the force sensor measuring the amount of force needed to move the block. They will change the surface, such as sand paper, metal, a rubber mat, for each test.

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    Once the data is collected, students will create a line plot showing the force over time for one of the surfaces. They will analyze the plot and data answering questions about which surface require the most or least amount of force.

    They will also determine whether the force was constant throughout the collection interval and why this happens.