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New Physics Project

This document outlines a physics experiment to determine how friction affects the distance traveled by a balloon-powered vehicle on different surfaces. The experiment uses a cardboard box "car" powered by an inflated balloon. The car is tested on surfaces like carpet, concrete, and grass both with and without straws attached to the bottom. The results show that the car travels farther on surfaces and conditions with less friction, such as a straw runway. Introducing straws to the car's bottom both helps and hinders distance depending on the surface. The conclusion is that friction significantly impacts the speed and distance a vehicle powered by force can travel.

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Sushma Umap
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117 views8 pages

New Physics Project

This document outlines a physics experiment to determine how friction affects the distance traveled by a balloon-powered vehicle on different surfaces. The experiment uses a cardboard box "car" powered by an inflated balloon. The car is tested on surfaces like carpet, concrete, and grass both with and without straws attached to the bottom. The results show that the car travels farther on surfaces and conditions with less friction, such as a straw runway. Introducing straws to the car's bottom both helps and hinders distance depending on the surface. The conclusion is that friction significantly impacts the speed and distance a vehicle powered by force can travel.

Uploaded by

Sushma Umap
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PHYSICS INVESTIGATORY

PROJECT
2022-2023
HOW FRICTION ON DIFFERENT
SURFACES DOES AFFECTS THE
SPEED OF THE BALLON CAR

GEETANJALI UMAP

11-I

ROLL NO. 12

1
AIM/OBJECTIVE:
To determine the effect of friction of different surfaces on the
distance travelled by a vehicle powered by a balloon.

APPARATUS:
• Lightweight cardboard box
• Balloon
• Scissors or a box cutter
• Box of plastic drinking straws
• Tape measure or ruler
• Glue or clear scotch tape
• Notebook
• Pencil or pen
INTRODUCTION:
There are many types of friction. Some types are static, rolling, kinetic, sliding. Static
friction is the friction that is much more powerful than sliding friction and makes it hard to
budge an object that isn’t moving, like a heavy box on the floor. Rolling friction occurs when
two objects move relative to each other, and one rolls on the other. Kinetic friction occurs
when two objects are moving relative to each other and rub together. Sliding friction occurs
when two objects are rubbing against each other.

Friction is the force that holds object in motion back. Friction works when two objects rub
together or when you press two surfaces together. Friction can help you by giving you grip so
you can walk. It also helps you with driving a car on the road, using your bicycle brake to slow
down or stop, making fire by rubbing two sticks, or pick up things.

Although friction helps you, it sometimes causes a problem. Here are some problems that can
happen:

1. It can cause damage to devices.

2. Too much friction can make heavy objects hard to move.

3. Too much friction can also wear things down.

To create less friction, you need to cover moving objects with a slippery liquid called lubricant,
such as oil, and water. You can use devices such as wheels to create less friction. You can also
create less friction by skiing down on the snow and the sand. Snow and sand are both slippery
enough to ski down because they are made of small grains that slide past each other.

You need friction to do a lot of things. Without friction, you can’t do anything. For example,
walking would be impossible without friction. If there were no friction between your feet and
the ground, your shoes wouldn’t grip, and you’d slip with every step. You also can’t drive a
car on the road or pick up things like a ham sandwich without friction.

In conclusion, I think the friction is the most important thing because you need friction for
everything such as walking. Even it causes a problem, it helps you with a lot of things
PROCEDURE:
1. cut a small hole in one end of the cardboard box.

2. Insert the balloon through the hole so that the head of the balloon is inside the box and the
opening is outside.

3. Blow up the balloon and twist the end closed, pinching it between your fingertips. Do not
tie it off.

4. While still pinching the balloon closed, set the balloon car on a flat countertop, table, or
floor and mark the starting point.

5. Let go of the balloon and measure the distance the box traveled.

6. Repeat inflating the balloon to the same size, let it go, and measuring the distance travelled
on difference surfaces. Good surfaces to test are carpets or rugs, concrete (like the sidewalk),
and on dirt or grass.

7. Go back to the first flat surface tested and lay out a row of parallel straws about 3 feet
long.

8. Inflate the balloon, mark the starting point, and set the balloon car on top of the straw
runway.

9. Release the balloon. Measure and record the distance travelled.

10. Repeat Step 8 on the different surfaces you tried in Step 6.

11. Glue or tape two straws along the length of the bottom of the box like a sleigh.

12. Inflate the balloon, mark the starting point, and release the balloon car across the surfaces
that were tested before.

13. Inflate the balloon, mark the starting point, and release the balloon car across the straw
runway.

14. Analyze your results from the experiment.


DIAGRAM OF BALLOON CAR:

OBSERVATION:
CONCLUSION:
The balloon car with two straws on the straw
runway travelled more than the balloon car on
the regular floor, and the balloon car with
only two straws, but travelled less than the
balloon car on the straw runway. I found that
the straws on the balloon car slowed down the
balloon car.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
How Friction on Different Surfaces Does Affects the
Speed of the Balloon Car | Physics or Astronomy Science
Fair Project (1000sciencefairprojects.com)

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