On Wednesday, January 26, Phil Andry's third period physics class conducted a lab experiment to solve for the coefficient of static and kinetic friction of a small wooden block sliding down a wooden plank.
Juniors Luka Abbentheren (Left) and William Bottoms (Right) suspend the plank at an angle utilizing a roll of string.
Juniors Luka Abbentheren and William Bottoms measure the length of the board to aid them in solving for the coefficient of static friction.
Junior Luka Abbentheren demonstrates how to solve for velocity
Physics teacher Phillip Andry helps junior Joshua Barnett with his calculator
Having solved for the coefficient of static friction algebraically, junior William Bottoms calibrates a spring balance scale to measure the weight of the wooden block.
Having solved for the coefficients of static and kinetic friction, the percent of error between algebraically solving and utilizing a scale was only 6.4% for the static friction and 7.7% for the kinetic friction.