Final answer:
Friction is a force that opposes motion and can affect the distance traveled by an object. In an experiment, friction slowed down the ball on rough surfaces and allowed it to travel farther on smooth surfaces. To demonstrate the contact force of friction, one can drag a probe across different surfaces and observe the force variations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Friction is a force that opposes motion. It is the resistance encountered when two objects rub against each other. In your experiment, friction affected the results by slowing down the ball's movement on surfaces with more texture, such as carpet or tile. The ball traveled farther on a smooth, slippery surface because there was less friction to impede its motion.
To demonstrate that friction is a contact force, you can conduct an experiment using a probe dragged across different surfaces. By measuring how the force varies for different materials, you can gain insights into the atomic nature of friction.