← Home

Air Resistance & Friction

CONCEPTUAL
Science›Forces & Motion|Ages 9—10|ID: mt_Y9k86G8BBT

Identify the effects of air resistance, water resistance, and friction, and understand that these forces act between moving surfaces to oppose motion

Mastery Evidence

  • Define air resistance, water resistance, and friction as forces that oppose motion
  • Give everyday examples of each force and explain how they slow things down
  • Describe how these forces depend on factors like speed, surface area, or surface texture

Assessment Prompt

“Can [child] explain why a parachute slows you down, why swimming is harder than walking, and why bike brakes use rubber pads?”

Curriculum Standards1 alignment

Y5.Sci.F.2The national curriculum in England
Air resistance, water resistance and friction

identify the effects of air resistance, water resistance and friction, that act between moving surfaces

Science · Key Stage 2

Prerequisites4

Show full prerequisite tree
  • Gravity & Falling Objects soft

    Understanding gravity helps contextualise resistive forces opposing gravitational motion

    • Balanced & Unbalanced Forces soft

      Balanced/unbalanced forces supports understanding gravity as an unbalanced force on unsupported objects

      • Pushes & Pulls hard

        Must understand pushes/pulls before investigating balanced vs unbalanced forces

        • Drawing Force Diagrams soft

          Understanding pushes and pulls as forces is supported by the arrow representation of magnitude and direction

      • Drawing Force Diagrams hard

        Investigating balanced and unbalanced forces requires drawing force diagrams to record and analyse experimental findings

      • Friction & Surfaces hard

        Must understand friction affects motion before investigating balanced/unbalanced forces

        • Pushes & Pulls hard

          Must understand forces change motion before comparing movement on different surfaces

          • Drawing Force Diagrams soft

            Understanding pushes and pulls as forces is supported by the arrow representation of magnitude and direction

        • Forces Vocabulary hard

          Comparing how things move on different surfaces requires friction vocabulary

    • Forces Vocabulary hard

      Explaining gravity requires the force vocabulary: gravity, weight, non-contact force

    • Drawing Force Diagrams hard

      Explaining gravity as a downward force requires representing it as a downward arrow in a force diagram

    • Contact & Non-Contact Forces hard

      Must know about non-contact forces before learning gravity as a non-contact force

      • Forces Vocabulary hard

        Distinguishing contact from non-contact forces requires these exact terms

      • Drawing Force Diagrams soft

        Distinguishing contact and non-contact forces is clarified by drawing force diagrams showing where arrows originate

      • Friction & Surfaces hard

        Must experience contact forces like friction before distinguishing contact vs non-contact forces

        • Pushes & Pulls hard

          Must understand forces change motion before comparing movement on different surfaces

          • Drawing Force Diagrams soft

            Understanding pushes and pulls as forces is supported by the arrow representation of magnitude and direction

        • Forces Vocabulary hard

          Comparing how things move on different surfaces requires friction vocabulary

  • Forces Vocabulary hard

    Identifying air resistance, water resistance, and friction requires these force terms

  • Drawing Force Diagrams hard

    Identifying and explaining air resistance and friction requires drawing force arrows to show opposing forces

  • Friction & Surfaces hard

    Must know friction from surface comparisons before learning about air/water resistance as similar forces

    • Pushes & Pulls hard

      Must understand forces change motion before comparing movement on different surfaces

      • Drawing Force Diagrams soft

        Understanding pushes and pulls as forces is supported by the arrow representation of magnitude and direction

    • Forces Vocabulary hard

      Comparing how things move on different surfaces requires friction vocabulary

Unlocks1