How does a nail change as it is driven into a board?

How does a nail change as it is driven into a board?

Materials Needed

• · Hammer
• · Nail, at least 5cm (2 in.) long
• · Board, at least 4 cm (1 1/12 in.) thick
• · Pounding surface

Procedure

1. Place the board on a good pounding surface such as another board, a stack of newspapers, or concrete.
2. Pound the nail at least 2.5 cm (1 in.) into the board. Do not pound it all the way in.
3. As soon as you stop pounding, feel the nail. What difference do you notice in the nail?
4. Pull the nail out of the board with the hammer.
5. As soon as you get the nail out of the board, feel it again.
6. What difference do you notice in the nail by feeling it? What can you say about this?

For problem solvers: 

rib your hands together, hard and fast. Do you feel a temperature change? How is this similar to what you experienced with the nail in the above activity?

Teacher information

As the nail is pounded into the board, some of the energy from the hammer is changed to heat energy due to friction between the nail and the board. As the nail is removed from the board, friction again changes some of the energy to heat. If the nail is pulled out quickly, the heat might be even more noticeable than when it was pounded in.

Teacher information

As the nail is pounded into the board, some of the energy form the hammer is changed to heat energy due to friction between the nail and the board. As the nail is pulled out quickly, the heat might be even more noticeable than when it was pounded in.