Friction and Spring Force
What is friction? What is spring force? Where is it found and applied?
Friction is usually what slows things down while spring force is what speeds it up, which is why they are used against each other most of the time.
Friction is motion resistance which is basically the force that resists the sliding of objects against each other. It can be found in many objects like tires, shoes, balls, rubber bands, airplanes, trampolines, and more. Friction acts in the opposite way that the object wants to go, which slows it down.
Spring force is the force that is released by a stretched or compressed spring on any object attached to it. Spring force comes from a… spring! It is a type of device that stretches and shrinks when pushed or pulled, and the force created is called the spring force. This can be found in lawnmowers, sprinklers, medical devices, and trampolines.
An example of where friction and spring force are in the same object is in trampolines.
There are springs circling the entire trampoline which attach to the fabric that you jump on. When you jump on it, the weight of your body will push the trampoline down, extending the springs. After your feet leave the fabric, the springs retract which pushes you upward using a lot of force. This is the spring force in the trampoline.
When you slide and fall on a trampoline, you experience sliding friction (kinetic friction). This is the friction between two things that are in sliding contact.
These two things are used often, in everyday objects and helpful machinery.
Here is another example of spring force and friction, made by MEL Science (https://melscience.com/US-en/). It is a wonderful car-making kit that kids can use to teach them about science while having fun.
The string on the car demonstrates spring force while the tires show friction.
Here is the link to the car if you would like to purchase it:
Have fun building!
