A set of 10 friction blocks that can be used independently or with the Ramp Set to introduce students to the concept of friction.. The friction blocks are manufactured from MDF and come with five different backings; plain, carpet, foam, sandpaper and rubber. The blocks come with an integral hook to allow easy attachment of a Newton meter to enable quantitative measurement of the friction exerted by the different surfaces. The square friction blocks have a surface area of 100cm2 with a milled recess to allow masses to be carried so that students can investigate the effect of down force on friction. As the blocks are all the same size the experiment can be extended to calculate the pressure being exerted. The friction blocks also come with comprehensive instructions for use that include a range of experiments and some sample results for comparison.

NB: The sandpaper has the potential to damage surfaces, so we advise running the blocks on a piece of cardboard to enable the results to be compared.