Science Behind Marble Run

Mechanical engineer rob bell paid us a visit to help us out with our office marble run competi.

Science behind marble run. Potential energy is the energy that is stored in an object. In this science activity kids will use recycled cardboard tubes to create their own marble runs to explore potential and kinetic energy. Even my 2 year old was completely enamored with the marble run. Hand eye coordination precision and care are needed when connecting pieces of a marble run and building a marble run helps develop hand eye coordination.

This week the head squeeze production team went to civil war. An example of potential energy is a stretched out rubber band the farther you stretch it the more potential energy it has. Of course if your child is under 3 years of age please remember marbles are choking hazards. Mazes can teach gravity mass acceleration and applied force.

Good science fair projects have a stronger focus on controlling variables taking accurate measurements and analyzing data. Read the digging deeper section to learn more about the physics behind your marble run. He played with it for days. This science exploration is fun for a variety of ages.

In order for the marble run to work the initial hill has to be the tallest hill. Slow the marble down by adding some friction this could be velcro or rough paper. Physics teacher s simple marble runs will make you love science all over again. It is a good idea to learn about these concepts before conducting the experiment.

The cars are marbles either steel or plastic which are useful as they have different masses. Try the marble run challenge on the james dyson website. The marble run comprises a flexible plastic track built from two parallel rails much like a railway. Projects involving marble mazes are a way to learn about newton s law of motion.

One of my family s favorite stopping spots at the exploratorium our local science museum is the tinkering studio where a pegboard wall bins of low tech building materials and rolls of masking tape are available for impromptu marble run construction the build at will lab is nestled in the far back corner of the museum but it s a beeline destination for many. Release one ball at the top. You can re create what has been known for centuries as a demonstration before your eyes. These can be joined easily and with a wide variety of supports structures resembling roller coasters can be built.