Why do wheels roll?
Wheels roll because they're round, so they turn easily along the ground!
Pip’s answer
- Wheels roll because they're round, so they turn easily along the ground!
- A round wheel touches the ground at just one tiny spot.
- As it turns, the bottom never scrapes along, so it rolls instead of dragging.
- Hehe, a square wheel would go bump, bump, bump all the way!
Try it together
Can you roll your hands round and round like wheels?
For grown-ups
A wheel touches the ground at one small point that keeps changing as it rotates, so it rolls instead of sliding. Rolling creates much less friction than dragging something, which is why wheels make it easier to move heavy loads. An axle in the middle lets the wheel spin around a fixed point.
Ask your child: What things in our home have wheels?
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