Playground slides are found in parks, schools, playground

Playground

A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...

s and backyards. The slide may be flat, or half cylindrical or tubular to prevent falls. Slides are usually constructed of plastic or metal and they have a smooth surface that is either straight or wavy. The user, typically a child, climbs to the top of the slide via a ladder or stairs and sits down on the top of the slide and "slides" down the slide. In Australia the playground slide is known as a slide, slippery slide or slippery dip depending on the region.

Sliding pond or sliding pon is a term used in the New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 area to denote a playground slide.

Spiral slides

A playground slide may be wrapped around a central pole to form a descending spiral forming a simple helter skelter.

Covered slides

A playground slide (and some professional slides) may be covered or enclosed by a sheath of plastic. This allows slide participants to have more privacy and security when sliding.

Amusement park slides

Larger versions of the playground slide are much higher with multiple parallel slideways. Participants may be provided with a sack to sit on to reduce friction

Friction

Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and/or material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:...

 for faster speeds and to protect clothing.

A variation of a slide is used in waterparks and swimming pools and is called a water slide

Water slide

A water slide is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size...

.

Sources

• Gold, David L. (Spring, 1981). "Three New-York-Cityisms: Sliding Pond, Potsy, and Akey" in American Speech, Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 17-32. Retrieved 2007-12-12 from "JSTOR" at http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1283(198121)56%3A1%3C17%3ATNSPPA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Y.