Friction and Rougher Surface Area

The Aspire of Importing and Exporting _______________ gave this class a chance to help them figure out which floor matting will help a cargo box stop from moving. One factor that is used is friction. Friction happens when two surfaces rub against each other and may cause heat. Also there are four types of friction which are static, sliding, rolling, and fluid friction. The company needs the class to find out what type of flooring is best to use to stop a cargo box from moving. They have game systems that are imported and exported around the world. But the ships steel floor makes the wooden crate moves and slide so they crash and have damage to them and so now a perfectly good game is ruined. The prediction is that the sand paper works best because it has a rougher surface area which causes more friction.
Method: In order to do this lab or experiment there are marbles to use as a force, the wooden block as a cargo, four types of matting which are wax paper, aluminum foil, sand paper, and a rubber mat, also a cup to hold the marbles, and a string to connect the force to the cargo. First each matting is tested by putting the cargo box on the matting and then have a partner put marbles in the cup one by one. But the force must be hanging over an edge of a table and the matting must be held by a hand. Then test out each matting three or more times and then mark down how many marbles does it take to move or unbalance the cargo from the matting each time. After all of the four matting are tested do tests on the table’s surface area.

Results: The result was that the sand paper worked the best for the experiment. But many other people had rubber mats work for them. All of the results may differ but the class may never all have the same answers. Figuring that the sand paper had a rougher surface area it had more friction. But as it is tested out a few more times the sand falls off and it gets worn down. But for some reason the force needed gets higher.