Washington Students Learn About Frictional Force

Washington Primary School students love science. They always have since the school first opened in September 1954. More than 70 years later, that’s still the case.

Washington third graders have been learning about what constitutes frictional force and how it affects the movement of objects. In a recent lab, the youngsters utilized a variety of materials to create friction with the movement or pull of a wooden block.

“They tested the pulling of the block against outdoor carpet, felt, the desk and sandpaper,” third grade teacher Aliash Ramirez.

The Washington students are having fun learning about and grasping advanced science concepts. The youngsters are exceptionally hardworking and inquisitive. They sit on the edge of their seats as the teacher goes about presenting the lesson.

Concerning frictional force: “Friction is a force that is around us all the time that opposes relative motion between surfaces in contact but also allows us to move (which you have discovered if you have ever tried to walk on ice),” according to Rice University’s OpenStax website. “While a common force, the behavior of friction is actually very complicated and is still not completely understood. We have to rely heavily on observations for whatever understandings we can gain. However, we can still deal with its more elementary general characteristics and understand the circumstances in which it behaves.”

Many more science lessons and science related events await Washington students on every grade level before the final bell sounds in late June.