Wheels Reduce Friction

Lab Brief #4

🎯 Your mission

Understand the idea. Then look for it everywhere.

⚡ The twist

Speed isn't the same as force. Don't mix them up.

What you'll learn

Wheels reduce friction and make it easier to move heavy objects.

Key words

friction
A force that slows things down when two surfaces rub together.
wheel
A round part that turns to help things roll and move.

Make a hypothesis first

Guess: where does the energy go?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the new words. Can you say each one?

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Test a magnet on 10 objects around your house. Make a list of what sticks and what doesn't.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Draw a picture of what you observe.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Share your results with a partner.

Question 1 of 3

What does friction do?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

What kind of surface has the most friction?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

Which simple machine is a ramp?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔥 A bolt of lightning is 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

Next: Gravity Pulls You Down All lessons

🎯

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: You use this every time you flip a light switch, ride a bike, or kick a ball.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Time how long a small ball rolls down something, then change the slope and try again.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.”

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Wheels Reduce Friction

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Wheels Reduce Friction

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