Students must determine the work done by a force on an angle when there is no friction present between the box and the table. Students must also find the final speed of the box after this work has been added to the box.

Experience the effect of friction, air resistance, and applied force upon a sledder. The speed, acceleration, and force values are displayed as the sled moves. Learners can vary the mass of the sledder and the size of the parachute...

Students must determine the amount of work that is done by tension and the amount of work done by friction. Then students must find the work that turned into KE.

This lab was designed to have students look at the factors that might affect the angle at which an object will start to move when it is placed on an inclined plane. The friction coefficient of the surfaces, the strength of the...

This is an article published by the American Physical Society on friction in microscopic gears that results from the adhesion of molecules. A great exploration of this new obstacle in science.

Explore how friction between a surface and tires affects the movement of a bicycle.

Students use a spring scale to drag an object such as a ceramic coffee cup along a table top or the floor. The spring scale allows them to measure the frictional force that exists between the moving cup and the surface it slides on. By...

Students explore the physics utilized by engineers in designing today's roller coasters, including potential and kinetic energy, friction, and gravity. First, students learn that all true roller coasters are completely driven by the...

Students apply Newton's laws to more diverse physical settings where multiple forces from varying origins interact. To aid in condensing the physical setting into mathematical expressions, the free body diagram is used in this module...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Learn about kinetic friction and how objects slide to a stop under the influence of friction.

A collection of resources on how humans use machines and tools to meet their needs. Covers simple and complex machines, subsystems that transfer forces, mechanical advantage, speed ratio, the effect of friction, efficiency, the science...

A detailed explanation of the different types of forces that can be applied to an object and how to represent them in a free body diagram. Includes examples and some practice problems to try, with solutions provided.

By the end of this section, you will be able to define net force, external force, and system; understand Newton's second law of motion; and apply Newton's second law to determine the weight of an object.

[Free Registration/Login Required] In this unit children build on their existing knowledge of forces and learn that forces can be measured and compared. The unit focuses on friction.

A simple demonstration using a person on a bicycle to illustrate how thrust and resistance balance to achieve a constant rate of speed.

For this activity, students will use different materials to find the most effective way to use an inclined plane (in other words, moving an object with as little force as possible). This is a guided inquiry. Although the students will be...

Learn how wheels and axles help with force and motion.

This lesson explains why kinetic friction depends on normal forces. It is 1 of 2 in the series titled "Kinetic Friction & Normal Forces."

Building upon their understanding of forces and Newton's laws of motion, students learn about the force of friction, specifically with respect to cars. They explore the friction between tires and the road to learn how it affects the...

Learn more about finding acceleration through the practices found in this lesson. "The process of determining the acceleration of an object demands that the mass and the net force are known." Check out this comprehensive site.

Create an Atwood's machine and a modified Atwood's machine in this interactive. Change the amount of mass on either object, introduce friction forces, and measure distance and time in order to calculate the acceleration.

This site is an interactive app of an inclined plane showing the effect of the angle, the weight of the block, and the friction as a block is pulled up an incline.

On the topic of energy related to motion, this summary lesson is intended to tie together the concepts of work, power, collisions, momentum and drag. A hands-on activity demonstrates this idea and reinforces students' math skills in...

This is part of a lesson on Newton's Laws of Motion that focuses on inertia and mass. It restates Newton's first law of motion. The lesson also gives a helpful visual description concerning friction.