John Buchan Middle School

Science Test revision

4E Friction

33 min

31 marks

Name

John Buchan Middle School 1

Level 3

1. Boats

(a) Mike puts two boats in a bowl of water. They float on the water.

Mike pushes down on one of the boats with his finger.

bowl
water

boat

Tick ONE box to show what Mike can feel as he pushes down.

The force from the water The force from the water
pushing the boat up. pushing the boat down.

The force from the air The force from the air
pushing the boat up. pushing the boat down.
1 mark

(b) Mike makes masts for the boats with straws.

He attaches the masts to the boats using modelling clay.

mast (straw)

modelling clay

Boat 1 Boat 2

Explain why boat 2 floats lower in the water than boat 1.

.....................................................................................................................
1 mark

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 (c) Mike makes sails for the boats out of paper.

He uses a straw to blow one of the boats along.

Draw an arrow on the picture to show the direction of the force pushing the boat
along.

1 mark

(d) What is the name of the force that slows the boat down?

.....................................................................................................................
1 mark

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 (e) Mike blows the boat when it has a big sail.

Then he puts a small sail on the boat and blows with the same force.

Big sail Small sail

The big sail makes the boat go faster.

Explain why the bigger sail makes the boat go faster.

Write about the forces on the sail in your answer.

.....................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................
1 mark

Level 4

2. Bath mat

(a) Some children want to find the best fabric for making a bath mat.

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 They set up two different tests.

TEST 1 - Does the fabric slip easily on a smooth surface?

They slowly lift the ramp until the fabric starts to slide.

Here are the results of Test 1:

Fabric Height of ramp when

fabric starts to slide (cm)
A 11
B 8
C 13
D 16

Look at the table.

Put the fabrics in order to show how easily each fabric slipped.

Write A, B, C, or D in each box.

Slipped Did not

easily slip easily
1 mark

(b) What is the name of the force that makes it hard for the fabric to start moving?

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

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 (c) TEST 2 - Does the fabric absorb water?

The children pour the same amount of water onto each fabric.

They hold up the fabric to let the water drip off.

Here are the results of Test 2:

Fabric Observations
A Almost no water drips off.
B Nearly all the water drips off.
C Some of the water drips off.
D No water drips off.

Look at the table.

Put the fabrics in order to show how absorbent each fabric was.

Write A, B, C, or D in each box.

Most Least
absorbent absorbent
1 mark

(d) Look at the results of Test 1 and Test 2.

(i) Which fabric will make the best bath mat?

.....................................................
1 mark

(ii) Give TWO reasons why the fabric you chose is better than the other fabrics.

1. .........................................................................................................
1 mark

2. .........................................................................................................
1 mark

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3. Tractor

(a) Rachel has a toy tractor and trailer. Both have magnets at each end.

tractor magnet
tractor magnet

trailer magnet
Rachels pull

trailer magnet

When Rachel pulls the tractor, the trailer comes with it.

Explain why the magnets cause the trailer to move forward when Rachel pulls on
the tractor.

..............................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) Rachel turns her trailer around. She pushes the trailer towards the tractor. The
tractor moves away without touching the trailer.

direction of tractor
Rachels push moves away

Explain why the magnets cause the tractor to move away when Rachel pushes
the trailer towards it.

..............................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................
1 mark

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 (c) Rachel puts some 20g masses in the trailer. She turns the trailer back around, so
the tractor pulls the trailer again.

Label the arrows on the picture below to say what forces they show.

One force has been labelled for you.

20g masses

(i) ......................... (iii) .........................

Rachels pull

(ii) .........................
2 marks

(d) Rachel can put masses weighing 160g in the trailer before it separates from the
tractor. She does this experiment on thick carpet.

Rachel repeats her experiment on a new surface. This time, the trailer holds 240g
before it separates from the tractor.

Tick ONE box to predict the new surface Rachel tested.

grass floorboards

gravel path fluffy rug

1 mark

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4. Measuring forces

(a) Lizzie uses a forcemeter.

She measures the force needed to start a brick moving on different surfaces.

Here are her results.

Pulling force
Surface (Newtons)
A 19
B 30
C 16
D 6

Write A, B, C or D in each box below to put the surfaces in order of force

needed to start the brick moving.

easiest surface hardest surface

to pull the brick to pull the brick
on on
1 mark

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 (b) Lizzie uses the forcemeter to pull the brick on a table top.
She spreads a spoonful of oil on the table top.
She puts the brick on the oil.

What happens when she tries pulling the brick on the oil?

Tick ONE box.

The brick moves more easily.

The brick is harder to move.

The brick will not move.

The brick floats.

1 mark

(c) The diagram below shows three forces acting on the brick as it is pulled
on each surface.

B C force from
the hand
A gravity

Force B makes it hard to start the brick moving.

Write the name of Force B below.

.....................................................
1 mark

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Level 5

5. At the swimming pool

(a) Ian is at the swimming pool. He notices that the floor tiles around the pool have a
rough surface.

Why are tiles with a rough surface safer than tiles with a smooth surface for
people with wet feet?

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) Ian floats on the water.

Why does Ian float on the water even though gravity is pulling him down?

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

(c) As part of a test, Ian swims across the pool wearing his clothes.

How are the forces different when he swims in his clothes compared with when
he swims in his swimming costume?

Tick TWO boxes.

There is more weight. There is more friction.

There is less weight. There is less friction.

1 mark

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6. Stacking Masses

(a) Abdul has some stacking masses.

He puts one mass on the stacking tower.

He uses a forcemeter to pull the tower.

tower

masses

There is a force on the tower from the forcemeter.

Draw an arrow on the picture below to show the direction of this force.

1 mark

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 (b) Abdul measures the force needed to pull the tower. He notes the forcemeter
reading each time he adds a mass to the tower.

Notes of Abdul's results (N)

0.3 0.45 0.60 0.75 0.90

Look at the notes of Abduls results.

Describe what Abduls notes tell him about the number of masses and the size
of the force needed to pull them.

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
2 marks

(c) Abdul puts his results into this table, but he makes a mistake.

Number of masses Forcemeter reading (N)

1 0.90
2 0.75
3 0.60
4 0.45
5 0.30

What is the mistake in Abduls table?

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

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 (d) Abdul notices his mistake. He corrects his table.

Then he says: I wonder if I made any mistakes when I did my test?

What should he do to check if he made any mistakes in his test?

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

7. Scales

(a) These scales measure in newtons.

They work because the spring inside is compressed when an object is

placed in the pan.

Complete the sentence.

The newton is the unit used to measure ......................................................

1 mark

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 (b) Kerry and Jason adjust the scales to zero before weighing an object.

What is the weight of the object in this picture?

................................. N
1 mark

(c) Jason pushes down on the scales.

The pan pushes up on his hand.

What is causing the pan to push up on his hand?

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

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 (d) The teacher asked the children to turn the scales sideways and adjust the
scales to zero.

Jason pushes on the top of the scales and Kerry pushes on the base.

They hold the scales still.

Jason's push measures 80N.

What is the size of Kerry's push?

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

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