Grade 5 · Science · Unit 6 of 9
Forces, Friction and Machines
Pushes, pulls and rubbing surfaces
What your child practises
Forces as pushes, pulls and twists, how friction affects motion, and how friction makes simple machines less efficient.
Nunavut Curriculum approved guide: NWT Science and Technology K–6 (2004), Physical science · forces, the effects of friction on motion, and friction in machines
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
A ramp is also called an…
- pulley
- axle
- inclined plane
inclined plane
Hint: It is a sloping surface.
Question 2
A hockey puck slides far on ice because…
- there is little friction
- gravity is off
- there is a lot of friction
there is little friction
Hint: Ice is slippery.
Question 3
A heavy box is hard to slide across a carpet because of…
- magnetism
- friction
- light
friction
Hint: The carpet grips the box.
Question 4
Simple machines make work…
- easier by changing a force's size or direction
- impossible
- heavier
easier by changing a force's size or direction
Hint: They help us use forces.
Question 5
A force can make an object…
- start moving, stop or change direction
- disappear
- only get lighter
start moving, stop or change direction
Hint: Forces change motion.
Question 6
Which is a benefit of friction?
- brakes stopping a bike
- a drawer sticking
- a machine heating up and wearing out
brakes stopping a bike
Hint: Friction lets us stop.