Year 3 - Invisible forces

Carrying on from identifying and exploring the forces Twist, Pull and Push, this week we have been looking at Invisible forces

Do surfaces affect movement?

How can we test this?

The children devised a fair test experiment to answer these questions. They decided to roll a toy car down a ramp over different surfaces to see what impact the surface had on movement . The children chose a wide variety of surfaces including rubber matting, patio slabs, grass, wood and running track. In their groups they work as a team, setting up the experiment, carrying it out, measuring the distance the car travelled over each surface before recording the results.They then analysed their results in order to make a conclusion and answer the question posed.

They discovered that the smoother the surface the further the car travelled concluding that smoother surfaces have less friction, conversely rough surfaces create more friction slowing the car down.

These findings resulted in a discussion about when you would need more friction and when you would need less. The children decided you would need less friction for ice skating or skiing but more friction if the roads were icy to stop you skidding.