Blog 4. Newton's Law and Friction

Last summer I tried something new when I went to the beach, skimboarding.  I didn't think about it back then, but now I realize that skimboarding implements physics as well.  One way to skimboard is to leave the board on the sand, near where the water would come up to.  When a wave washes up to where the board is, leaving the beach with a thin layer of water on it, you would run and jump onto the board and the board would slide over the water.  I realized that this part implements physics.  The board begins at rest when we lay it upon the sand.  But when the water comes and we run onto it, we apply a force to it, causing it to slide over the water.  In addition, because there is a thin layer of water, the friction between the board and the ground is less, allowing the board to slide over the ground.