Skatepark Science (Friction)

Friction is a force that acts against a moving object or prevents a stationary object to move if a force is applied to it.  It is described as an OPPOSING FORCE.

To relate this to skateboarding we have decided to illustrate some of the statements in my GCSE book using skateboarding.  

1)If an objective has no force propelling it along it will always slow down and stop because of friction.  

Example: If you stop scooting your foot on the floor, you will eventually come to a stop.

2)Friction always acts in the opposite direction to movement.

Example: Your board slows down because of friction force pushing against the direction you are going.

3)To travel at a steady speed the driving force needs to balance the frictional forces.

Example: The reason why you have to keep scooting on a flat surface.

4)You get friction between two surfaces in contact or when an object passes through a fluid (drag).  A fluid can be either a liquid or a gas.  

Example: When you are going down a ramp and you can feel the air being pushed against you,  this is a drag.

5)You can reduce friction between surfaces by using a lubricant.  

Example: It is dangerous to skate in the rain/after it has rained because the floor is slippy (so this means there is a decrease in friction on the floor) We see people putting cat litter/sawdust to mop up the rain.

Places on a Skateboard where Friction is important.

At the top of the skateboard you want to have an increase of friction.

On the skateboard bearings you want to have  a decrease of friction.

On the skatepark surface you want to have decrease of friction.

The uses of wax in skateboarding, is it anything to do with friction? Yes, wax is used to make a surface even more slippy, the wax decreases the friction on rails when you grind down them.

Wear skate shoes- Because other shoes, ie. high heels, may be unstable and have a small surface area which means that there is more of a chance you will fall off the board because a small surface area and higher heels creates less friction.

Bearings (see previous post about changing bearing to reduce friction)-You want as little friction as possible in the bearings, this means smooth, well lubricated bearings allows you to go longer distances with the same energy.

Skatepark surfaces-The skate park surface should be smooth and this reduces friction between it and the board wheels allowing the skaters to travel further distances and to skate more smoothly, this lowers the chance of you falling off your board.