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Home » Activities » Science » Ridiculously Easy Friction Science Experiment Your Kids Will Love

Ridiculously Easy Friction Science Experiment Your Kids Will Love

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure .

Someone recently told me about this friction science experiment. We’re huge fans of science activities in our home. I knew I immediately had to try it out and add it to my arsenal of easy science experiments!

As for this friction experiment, I listened to the explanation but had doubts if the “experiment” would work. So, like any good parent and educator, I tested it out. First, by myself and then with my children.

The age range of my children is 5 years so I always have to think about how to approach science activities in age-appropriate ways. Turns out this activity is suited for a preschooler but is also great to add to your bucket of science experiments for 5th graders, too! I like that range!  Also, add it to your list if science fair projects to wow peers and teachers!

Science of Friction Activity

I like to do activities by myself first not because I don’t want to fail in front of kids (that is a healthy and great thing for children to observe) but instead because I want to be organized with the materials. I want to be able to have conversations about the concept and the experiment without stumbling for a bag of rice. ;-)

The post includes photos of my sons when we did the experiment. They were joyous, amazed with the result, and had loads of questions and ideas on what to do next with this experiment. This easy friction science experiment definitely ignited their desire to learn more!

Friction Observation Sheet Opt-In

Friction Science Experiment Idea

Materials for Friction Experiment

Materials for Friction Experiment

  • Enough rice to fill a medium-sized plastic bottle
  • Pencil or chopstick
  • Funnel to get rice into the bottle
  • Medium sized plastic or glass bottle
  • A scoop to get rice to the funnel

How to do a Friction Science Experiment Steps

Steps to Friction Experiment

  • Bring out the materials and ask the child: “Do you think I can lift a bottle of rice with a chopstick?”
  • Pour rice into a bowl for easy access
  • Place the funnel into the bottle
  • Scoop rice and pour into the funnel (that is already in the opening of the bottle

Learn a super cool, super easy science of friction experiment

  • Bang the bottle gently on the table to settle the rice (key point)
  • Continue until mostly full
  • Place the chopstick into the bottle
  • Work it into the rice, gently banging the bottle to get the chopstick worked well into the rice
  • Once worked into the rice, grab the chopstick and try to lift the bottle
  • Observe the wonder

Science of Friction Experiment Collage

What is Friction?

Friction is a force we experience every day, all day. We can’t see it. So, we tend not to notice it. Friction is the force that opposes the movement of one substance against another. In this case, we had rice and a chopstick.  As the rice sits in the bottle, there are air pockets around most grains, which prevents friction.

Live Science tells us, “It is not a fundamental force, like gravity or electromagnetism. Instead, scientists believe it is the result of the electromagnetic attraction between charged particles in two touching surfaces.” (Source: LiveScience)

Science of Friction

History of Friction

So when did we first discover this amazing force? Believe it or not, scientists began identifying and understanding the laws governing friction in the 1400s! The cool part about friction is that the interactions are so complex that in order to truly understand the concept many different types of experiments in a variety of situations (different materials, etc) have to happen. Unlike other forces, friction can’t be derived from equations or laws alone.

I learned from LiveScience that there are exceptions to the rules of friction:

“…while two rough surfaces (such as sandpaper) rubbing against each other sometimes have more friction, very smoothly polished materials (such as plates of glass) that have been carefully cleaned of all surface particles may actually stick to each other very strongly.”

How interesting is that???


Science Behind Friction Experiments

As we push the chopstick into the bottle, the grains of rice settle close to one another eliminating most of the air pockets. Once this happens, the frictional force overwhelms the rice and so the rice will push against the chopstick. In fact, the grains are pushing so forcefully, they create a force that causes the chopstick to become stuck enabling you to pick up the bottle of rice.

Learn about Friction from Science Max

Further Friction Questions & Ideas

Don’t stop at simply doing the science experiment! Ask questions that help your kids with their scientific thinking! I have a few examples for you below but if you need more ideas to check out, click thru to this post I wrote a while back: 9 Fantastic Ways to Help a Child with Science Thinking.

  • Why could the chopstick pick up the bottle of rice in one case but not in another? (The rice wasn’t settled enough in the bottle, around the chopstick.)
  • Ask “What would happen if we used a different material in the bottle?” Then, try different materials like sand, pasta, etc. Record what works and what doesn’t work and thoughts on why that might be the case. 
  • Then ask, “What would happen if we used a different vessel? A different type of bottle?”

Easy Science Experiments - Awesome Friction Science Experiment for Kids

  • Try different sized “pencils” or tool to lift. Try a thicker/thicker dowel. Try a shorter or longer instrument. Record observations.
  • Try with more or less rice. Record the observations.
  • Check out PhysicsforKids.com for Friction Basics

Learn a super cool, super easy science experiment on friction

I’d love to hear your ideas on ways to experiment with friction!

Want more? Check out these Experiments with Electricity.

Other Science Activities:

How to Build a Magnetic Car with Your Kids

DIY Magnetic Sand Table

Magnetism Science Experiments for Kids: Magnetic Board

Light Activities for Preschoolers - Learning about Light Energy

The Ultimate List of Light Energy Experiments for Kids

Science Activity with Milk & Food Coloring

Science of Flight Activities for Kids

Easy Science Activity with Balloons - How to Build a Balloon Rocket

Easy Science Experiments for Kids - Surface Tension

Easy Motion Science Experiment that Will Wow Your Kids

10+ Amazing Science Activities for Preschoolers

Arctic Animal Science Experiment for Preschoolers

Super Cool Easy Science Experiments for Kids - Learn about Sound

Preschool Physical Science Activity - Leaf Pounding

The Coolest Preschool Science Activity - Surface Tension

What Do Germs Look Like - Science Activity for Kids

Explore How Cats Eyes Glow with this Science Activity

How to Make a Pulley with Kids - Easy Science Activity

Electricity Experiments with Kids: Super Easy Science Experiments

[Baking Soda and Vinegar] Experiment with Balloons - Earth Day Science

Tagged With: Easy & Inexpensive, Easy Science for Kids, Physics

About Marnie Craycroft

Marnie hails from Maine where she spent summers buried in sand and winters buried in snow. She is the daughter of a nearly four decade veteran of the public school systems. Teaching has always been a part of her life. She founded Carrots Are Orange in 2010.

Carrots Are Orange is a Montessori learning and living website for parents and teachers.

Marnie graduated from Wesleyan University in 1999 with a BA in Economics. She spent nearly a decade working in investment management. In 2006, she earned her MA in business from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.

Marnie moved to the west coast in 1999 and currently lives in Boulder with her husband and three sons. She is Montessori trained. Her work has been featured on Apartment Therapy, Buzzfeed, PBS Kids, BabyCenter, the Melissa & Doug blog, Huffington Post, and WhattoExpect.com. Besides writing, passions include running (usually after her three sons), photography, and outdoor adventures.

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Comments

  1. jeff says

    January 23, 2020 at 2:08 am

    Thank you . really helpful

    I’d like you jeff

    Reply
    • Marnie Craycroft says

      January 23, 2020 at 12:53 pm

      I am so glad you enjoyed this friction experiment, Jeff!

      Reply

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