Coefficient of Sliding Friction Lab

[vitaly]

I have to do a lab this grading period, which I chose out of a hat. The lab is on the coefficient of sliding friction. I have to have an experiment, but I do not want to just have different objects slide off a ramp or anything simple like that.

Does anybody have a good experiment idea that involves sliding friction (hopefully one that relates to everyday life)? Again, I can't have anything too simple.

Thank you for any ideas.

 

[christinono]

You can somehow have 2 objects collide, calculate the kinetic energy that is lost, and find the loss in energy due to friction (of course, this will be a slightly false assumption, but i think it is ok, since most of the energy is lost due to friction). Once you have that energy, you can find the force and the coefficient of friction. Just an idea...

 

[wais]

One idea for an experiment that relates to everyday life and involves sliding friction could be testing the friction of different types of shoes on different surfaces. You could set up a ramp with different surfaces, such as carpet, wood, and concrete, and have someone wear different types of shoes, such as sneakers, dress shoes, and sandals, and measure the distance they slide down the ramp on each surface. This could mimic everyday situations where people may need to walk on different surfaces and experience different levels of friction depending on their footwear. You could also vary the weight of the person to see if that has an impact on the friction. This experiment would allow you to compare the coefficients of sliding friction for different shoe types and surfaces, and could potentially have practical applications for choosing appropriate footwear for different environments.