Oh! Hey hi, I am Crazy Chris and welcome to So Cool Science. Science you can do, read at home. I am just doing some sledding today, and going on today's science file. And today's science file says, how do you beat someone in a sledding race?
Well that's an excellent question, you definitely want to try this. You will need two containers and a slope. Okay, first you got to get yourself a big container, like here. And then you got to get yourself a small container. I got him, I know here it is, and a small container. And now you have to pack both containers with snow. I don't need the snow, especially with Joe.
Okay, now you are ready for your big galactic race, between the big container and the little container, because you don't have to use containers, you can do this with your friends. Just get one friend who weighs more than you, or one friend who weighs less than you. Now keep the containers on their side, and you are going to roll them down the hill. And three, two, one, action. Wow! The little one took off faster than the big one. Now why did the little one go faster then the big one? Well, take a closer look at this.
Gravity is pulling down with the same amount of force on both containers, but the container weights are different. The more an object weighs, the more pressure it puts on a surface. The more pressure there is, the more friction there will be between two surfaces.
Since the little container has less weight than the big container there is less pressure pushing down and thus less friction, the small the container down. The bigger container has more weight and puts more pressure on the slope, thus creating more friction, which is why the smaller container moves faster than the bigger one.
If you weigh more than your friend does, all you have to do is lie down on the sledge, your weight will be spread out over a bigger area and you'll create less friction.
So now you know all about friction. You know studying friction to win a sledding race against your friends, is why science is so cool.
