Activity 1: Friction Creates Heat

Materials needed:

• two hands for each child (they should be able to provide these themselves!)

Procedure:

1. Have the students rub their hands together for a few seconds.
2. Ask them what happened. They should notice that when they rub their hands together, heat is created. Explain that the friction between their hands is creating the heat. In some toys with wheels (such as bicycles and roller skates) too much heat could be created by the wheels rubbing against the axles, so something is needed to create less friction.

The next two activities will explore ways that friction is reduced.