Name
Class
Skills Practice Lab
Date
DATASHEET FOR IN-TEXT LAB
Static, Sliding, and Rolling Friction
Use this datasheet with the corresponding Skills Practice Lab in your textbook.
PREPARING FOR YOUR EXPERIMENT
1. Which type of friction do you think is the largest force: static, sliding, or
rolling? Which is the smallest?
2. Form a hypothesis by writing a short paragraph that answers the question
above. Explain your reasoning.
Static
friction (N)
Sliding
friction (N)
Rolling
friction (N)
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Average
Analysis
1. Organizing Data For each type of friction, add the results of the three trials
and divide by three to get an average. Record these averages in your data
table.
2. Analyzing Data Which of the three types of friction was the largest force on
average?
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Holt Science Spectrum
38
Motion
Name
Class
Date
Static, Sliding, and Rolling Friction continued
3. Analyzing Data Which of the three types of friction was the smallest force
on average?
Conclusions
4. Evaluating results Did your answers to Analysis questions 2 and 3 agree
with the hypothesis you made before collecting data? If not, explain how your
results differed from what you predicted.
5. Applying Conclusions Imagine that you are an engineer at a construction site.
You are planning to drag a heavy load of building materials on a palette by
using a cable attached to a truck. When will the force exerted by the cable be
greatest, before the palette starts moving or while is is moving? How could
you reduce the amount of force needed to move the palette?
6. Evaluating Methods In each trial, the force that you measured was actually
the force that you were exerting on the spring scale, which was in turn
exerted on the book. Why could you assume that this was equal to the force
of friction in each case?
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Holt Science Spectrum
39
Motion
TEACHER RESOURCE PAGE
Name
Class
Skills Practice Lab
Date
DATASHEET FOR IN-TEXT LAB
Static, Sliding, and Rolling Friction
Use this datasheet with the corresponding Skills Practice Lab in your textbook.
PREPARING FOR YOUR EXPERIMENT
1. Which type of friction do you think is the largest force: static, sliding, or
rolling? Which is the smallest?
2. Form a hypothesis by writing a short paragraph that answers the question
above. Explain your reasoning.
Answers may vary.
Static
friction (N)
Sliding
friction (N)
Rolling
friction (N)
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Average
Analysis
1. Organizing Data For each type of friction, add the results of the three trials
and divide by three to get an average. Record these averages in your data
table.
Answers will vary based on data. The correct answers should be the averages
of the three trials for each of the three types of friction.
2. Analyzing Data Which of the three types of friction was the largest force on
average?
Students should find that static friction is the largest force.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Holt Science Spectrum
38
62
Motion
TEACHER RESOURCE PAGE
Name
Class
Date
Static, Sliding, and Rolling Friction continued
3. Analyzing Data Which of the three types of friction was the smallest force
on average?
Students should find that rolling friction is the smallest force.
Conclusions
4. Evaluating results Did your answers to Analysis questions 2 and 3 agree
with the hypothesis you made before collecting data? If not, explain how your
results differed from what you predicted.
Answers may vary based on the initial predictions and results. Students
should explain why their results might have differed from their predictions.
5. Applying Conclusions Imagine that you are an engineer at a construction site.
You are planning to drag a heavy load of building materials on a palette by
using a cable attached to a truck. When will the force exerted by the cable be
greatest, before the palette starts moving or while is is moving? How could
you reduce the amount of force needed to move the palette?
The force exerted by the cable will be greatest just before the palette starts
moving. The required force could be reduced by putting wheels or rolling
bars under the palette.
6. Evaluating Methods In each trial, the force that you measured was actually
the force that you were exerting on the spring scale, which was in turn
exerted on the book. Why could you assume that this was equal to the force
of friction in each case?
Because the book is moving at a constant speed (or at rest), the forces on
the book are balanced. Therefore, the force that the spring scale exerts on
the book is equal to the force of friction.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Holt Science Spectrum
39
63
Motion