Station 1: Marble Madness
"JM marbles 01" by Joe Mabel. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JM_marbles_01.jpg#mediaviewer/File:JM_marbles_01.jpg
Location: The Library/Learning Commons
Introduction: Marbles have been around for centuries. No one knows the exact origin of
marbles, but they were first manufactured in Germany in the 1800’s. Marbles come in
all different sizes and they are excellent objects for exploring the concepts of force and
motion. In this activity you will explore the force of gravity and the force of friction
using marbles.
Keywords:
 Gravity is the force that exists between any two objects that have mass.
 Friction is the resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving
over another.
 Inertia is a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or
uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force
Objective: to investigate the effects of gravity and friction using marbles of various sizes.
Materials:
 Graph paper
 Marbles of various sizes








A paper or plastic cup
A paper cup cut in half
A slotted ruler
Tape
A pen or pencil
Lab report
Measurement Page
Rubber band
Procedure:
1. Watch the first part of the introductory video “Marbles: Motion and Forces” from
DoingScience.org: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB_8TPA-oFk NOTE:
stop the video at the 2:10 mark (2 minutes, 10 seconds) to enable you to make
predictions before you begin the activity.
2. Using the materials provided and the instructions in the video, create your
marble set up.
3. Make a prediction: How far will the marble travel inside the cup when it is placed
on the halfway point of the ruler and then released? Record your prediction.
4. Place the marble on the halfway point of the ruler (15 cm mark) and then release
it. How far did the cup travel along the graph paper? Was your prediction
correct?
5. Using the Measurement Page, do 10 short marble rolls, placing the marble at the
10 cm mark. Record your measurement for each roll.
6. What do you think will happen when you place the marble higher up on the ruler
for a longer roll? Make a prediction. Now, try doing 10 long marble rolls, placing
the marble at the 20 cm mark on the ruler and then releasing it. What happens?
7. Try changing the set up in some way: use a larger marble, a different length of
roll, or change the angle of the ruler, or place a rubber band around the ruler to
act as an obstacle. Once you have changed the set up in some way, use the 3 rd
column on your Measurement Page to record 10 new trials.
Observations and Conclusions:
 Record your observations and conclusions in your lab report.
 Describe the difference in forces that were evident in the different lengths of the
marble rolls.
 Describe how you changed the set up for the third set of trials and explain the
effect these changes had on the force of the marble.
Questions to Consider:
 What’s the “big idea” behind this experiment?
 How are the forces of gravity and friction at work here?
Other Resources to help you:
 Check out this “Forces and Motion” video using marbles to illustrate the concept
(1:27): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MztWyY9z1jY
 Here’s another short video clip on force and gravity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEs9J2IQIZY
Station 2: Slinking Slinky
Location: Stairwell leading to the band room
Introduction: Have you ever watched a Slinky
"walk" down a flight of stairs and wondered
how it works? It's a fascinating thing to see and
a big part of the Slinky's appeal. These spring
toys have been popular for well over half a
century; your parents, or even grandparents,
may have played with them. Slinkies not only
make fun toys, they are also great for doing
physics and engineering activities. In this
activity you will investigate the physics of a
slinky. How does it move? What forces are acting upon it?
Keywords:
 Inertia
 Gravity
 Momentum
Objective: To determine what allows a slinky to walk down stairs. You will also
investigate to see if slope effects how fast a slinky will move.
Materials:




Slinky
Staircase
Tabletop/Plywood
Pencil / Lab report
Procedure:
1. Place one end of the Slinky on the top step of a staircase and hold that end in place
while you stretch out the other end and place it on the next step from the top.
2. Think about your understanding of gravity and momentum. If you don't know much
about these concepts, do some research.
3. What do you think might happen with the Slinky on a shallow slope versus the steeper
slope of the staircase? Write down what you think is going to happen. This
prediction is called a hypothesis.
4. Set the Slinky up at the top of the stairs, and as you let it go, start the stopwatch.
5. Observe how quickly and how far down the steps the Slinky moves.
6. Stop the stopwatch when the Slinky ends its movement.
7. Next, move to the ramp with the shallow incline. You may need to build your own
ramps with a piece of plywood and several books stacked under one end of the
plywood. Try to keep the slope around 25 degrees.
Start the stopwatch and set the Slinky in motion. Stop the stopwatch when the Slinky
ceases moving and then record your observations.
Observations and Conclusions:
Gravity and the momentum from the Slinky itself differs depending on the angle of
travel. If the Slinky walks down a steep slope, such as a staircase, it travels faster
because gravity pulls it down with greater force. When the Slinky walks down a gentler
slope, it will move more slowly, but will walk farther because the momentum is steady.
Questions to consider:
 Could a slinky travel up stairs? Why or why not?
 What are the factors that might make the slinky move faster or slower?
 Would a slinky work on a circular staircase? Why or why not?
Station 3: Friction Race Track
Location: Classroom, library, gravel field
Introduction: Start your toy engines -- this is going to be
a fast and friction-filled race! Have you ever wondered
what kind of surfaces make race cars go faster or
slower? Cars travel on a variety of surfaces which
present a range of different textures from smooth to
rough and include dry, wet, icy, gravel and worn
textures. The key to this experiment is car friction, or
resistance created, between the car's wheels and the
road.
Objective: Investigate what effect different surfaces will have on the distance and speed
that a matchbox car will travel.
Materials:






Matchbox cars
Ramp
3 different surfaces
Stopwatch
Measuring tape / metre stick
Lab report
Procedure:
1. Placed ramp on first surface (carpet).
2. Placed car at top of ramp and held in place.
3. Removed hand from car whilst beginning timing. Allowed car to travel across surface.
Stopped timing when car came to a complete stop.
4. Measured distance car travelled from top of ramp to back wheels.
5. Repeated experiment 2 more times on same surface recording information in a table.
6. Repeated experiment on other surfaces (table top, gravel).
Observations:
Surface 1 (Carpet)
Distance (cm) Time (secs) Speed (cm/s)
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Average
*Copy table for all 3 surfaces
Conclusions: A car's speed is often determined by the friction between its wheels and
the road. When you drove your toy car over the smooth tile, the wheels were met with
little resistance. Try sweeping your finger against the tile --is it met with any resistance,
anything that somehow stops it from moving forward? Now try sweeping your finger
against the gravel. See the difference?
As the car's wheels hit the rough gravel surface, they're met with this same sort of
friction. You could probably have guessed by now that real race car drivers would rather
drive on a smooth surface than a gravel or sandpaper one.
Questions to consider:
 What other factors might influence the distance that the car will travel
 How might wet roads impact a car’s distance and speed? How could you test
this?
Station 4: Galileo Drops the Ball
Location: Outside (Upper ledge, next to staircase
leading down to gravel field)
Introduction: In around 1590 Galileo Galileo (15641642) climbed up the Leaning Tower of Pisa and
dropped some balls to the ground. Two balls of
different masses, but of similar shape and density that
were released together hit the ground at the same
time. Until then it was commonly believed that heavy
things fall faster than light things. Many people still
believe this, and casual observation of everyday
phenomena often does tend to confirm this view.
Keywords:




Mass is the amount of matter in a given volume of something.
Gravity is the force that exists between any two objects that have mass.
Weight is a measure of the force of gravity pulling on an object.
Friction is the resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving
over another.
 Inertia is a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or
uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force
Objective:
Investigate whether a heavier object falls faster than a lighter object.
Materials:
 Balls of the same size, but different mass (Medicine ball and Basketball)
Procedure:
1. Hold the two balls at the same height, hanging over the ledge above the school field.
2. Drop the balls from the same height at the same time
3. Did one ball hit the ground before the other? Did they hit at the same time? In your
lab write-up, make a data table like Table 1, and record your results in it by
checking off which ball hit first.
4. For any experiment, it is important to do multiple trials to assure that your results are
consistent. Repeat the experiment (steps 1 to 3) at least 9 more times, making a
total of at least 10 trials.
Observations:
Did both balls hit the ground at the same time?
Trial #
Heavy Ball
Light Ball
Same Time
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Total
Conclusions:
You should have found that both balls hit the ground at roughly the same time.
According to legend, this is what Galileo showed in 1589 from his Tower of Pisa
experiment but, again, it's debated whether this actually happened. If you neglect air
resistance, objects falling near Earth’s surface fall with the same approximate
acceleration 9.8 meters per second squared (9.8 m/s2, or g) due to Earth's gravity. So
the acceleration is the same for the objects, and consequently their velocity is also
increasing at a constant rate. Because the downward force on an object is equal to its
mass multiplied by g, heavier objects have a greater downward force. Heavier objects,
however, also have more inertia, which means they resist moving more than lighter
objects do, and so heaver objects need more force to get them going at the same rate.
If you drop a brick and a feather at the same time the brick will probably hit the ground
first. But this is because of differences in the amount of friction between these objects
and the air around them, not because their masses are different. If there were no air,
the feather and the brick would hit the ground at the same time.
Galileo’s discovery is important in understanding how parachutes work. They fall slowly
through the air because of friction.
Questions to consider:
 What will happen when two balls of the same mass but different volumes are
dropped at the same time from the same height? Which will hit the ground first?
Why?
 What will happen when two balls of different masses but the same volume are
dropped from that same height? Which will hit the ground first? Why?
Extra: Try this experiment again but this time use balls that have the same mass but are
different sizes. Does one ball hit the ground before the other or do they hit it at the same
time?
Extra: Try testing two objects that have the same mass, but are different shapes. For
example, you could try a large feather and a very small ball. Does one object hit the
ground before the other or do they hit it at the same time?
Station 5: The Box Slide
Location: Grade 6/7 Hallway, the Learning
Commons and/or other areas around the school.
Note: Please be considerate of other classes.
Introduction: What happens when you combine a
tissue box with an inflated balloon? Achoo! If you
said “a propulsive sneeze” you might be right! In
this activity you will be exploring the force of friction.
You will also be observing Newton’s First and Third
Laws of Motion in action.
'Picture by Hay Kranen / PD'
Keywords:




Friction
Force
Propulsion
Objective: to observe friction in action using a tissue box and a balloon and determine
which surfaces and conditions create the least frictional forces.
This activity explores the principles of Newton’s First and Third Laws of Motion.
Newton’s First Law of Motion states that when an object is set in motion, it will remain
in motion until acted on by an outside force.
Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and
opposite reaction.
Materials:






Lightweight cardboard box (like a tissue box)
Balloon
Tape measure or a ruler
Plastic drinking straws
Clear tape
Lab report
Procedure:
1. Blow up the balloon and twist the end closed, pinching it between your fingertips.
Do not tie it closed.
2. Insert the balloon’s twisted end through the hole in the tissue box so that the
head of the balloon rests inside the box and the opening of the balloon sticks
outside of the box.
3. While still pinching the balloon closed, set the balloon car on a flat countertop,
table, or floor and mark the starting point.
4. Let go of the balloon and measure the distance the box travelled with the tape
measure. Record this distance.
5. Repeat inflating the balloon to the same size, letting it go, and measuring the
distance travelled on different surfaces. Some surface suggestions are a carpet
or rug, concrete (like the sidewalk), on grass or on dirt. (Please try to keep the
tissue box in good condition for the next group).
6. Now try this: Tape two drinking straws along the length of the bottom of the box
like a sleigh. Will this create more or less friction? Why? Make a prediction and
record it in your lab report.
7. Inflate the balloon, mark the starting point, and release the balloon car across the
surfaces you tested before.
8. Analyze your results! Which set up had the most friction? Which set up had the
least friction?
Questions to Consider: How did adding the “sleigh rails” (straws) affect the box’s
ability to travel? Why?
Observations and Conclusions:
Smooth surfaces create the least amount of friction and are the easiest type of surfaces
to travel on. Putting the “sleigh rails” on the bottom of the box reduces the frictional
force even more because there is a much smaller area of contact, which means there is
a smaller area upon which the force is acting.
Where do Newton’s First and Third Laws of Motion come in? When you blow up
your balloon and release the box, escaping air rushes out, causing propulsion. Newton’s
Third Law of Motion – for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction – is the
principle at work here. In our experiment, the action is the air rushing out of the balloon.
The reaction is the movement of the box. Newton’s First Law of Motion – when an
object is set in motion, it will remain in motion until acted upon by an outside force – is
the principle involved in the slowing down of the box from friction.
Other Resources to help you:
You can use the images from this site’s experiment to help you envision what your
“balloon car” should look like http://www.education.com/science-fair/article/find-ways-reduce-friction/
Station 6: Newton’s Cradle
Location: Learning Commons or Classroom
Introduction:
Newton’s Laws of Motion Law 3 - For every action there is an equal and opposite
re-action. This is a Newton's cradle, also called a Newton's rocker or a ball
clicker. It was so-named in 1967 by English actor Simon Prebble, in honor of his
countryman and revolutionary physicist Isaac Newton.
Keywords:
 Conservation of energy: energy- the ability to do work -- can't be created or
destroyed. Energy can, however, change forms.
 Momentum is the force of objects in motion
 Friction
 Kinetic is energy objects have by being in motion
 Potential energy is energy objects have stored.
Objective: To determine what allows for continuous motion and transferred energy
with Newton’s Cradle and dominoes.
Materials:
 A small version of Newton’s Cradle
 One set of dominoes
 Stop watch
Procedure:
For any experiment, it is important to do multiple trials to assure that your results are
consistent. Repeat the experiment a few more times so that you feel confident in your
observations.
Part I
1. On the Newton’s Cradle, pull one ball away from the rest.
2. Allow the ball to drop and hit the other balls.
3. Observe the stationary balls and the last moving ball.
4. Record the time of how long the motion occurs.
5. Record your observations.
6. Pull 2 balls away from the rest.
7. Allow the balls to drop and hit the other balls.
8. Observe the stationary balls and the last moving ball(s).
9. Record the time and your observations.
10. Drop the ball or balls from a higher or lower position.
11. Record the time of motion and your observations.
Part II
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Place 15-20 dominoes on the table within reach of each other.
Push one domino over.
Observe and record time.
Change the speed of the first push.
Observe and record the time.
Part III
1.
2.
3.
4.
Place 4 dominoes flat on the table.
Number them 1-4 .
While holding in place domino #2, tap it with domino #1.
Record any movement or change in position that you notice with dominoes
#3 or #4.
Questions to Answer:




What other factors might influence the energy that is transferred?
What would happen if paper was in between each ball in the “Cradle”.
Why doesn't the Ball #1 just bounce back the way it came?
Is friction involved in this experiment? Explain.
Conclusions:
Newton’s Cradle
When the first ball is lifted up and out, its kinetic energy is zero, but its potential
energy is greater, because gravity can make it fall.
After the ball is released, its potential energy is converted into kinetic energy
during its fall because of the work gravity does on it.
Energy can't be destroyed.
When Ball One hits Ball Two, it stops immediately, it’s kinetic and potential
energy must go somewhere -- into Ball Two.
This transfer of energy continues on down the line until it reaches the last ball in
the line.
Because of the conservation of energy, The last ball will have the same amount
of kinetic energy as Ball One, and so will swing out with the same speed that Ball
One had when it hit.
It’s impossible to have an ideal Newton's cradle, because one force will always
conspire to slow things to a stop: friction. Friction robs the system of energy,
slowly bringing the balls to a standstill. Though a small amount of friction comes
from air resistance, the main source is from within the balls themselves.
Please watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiLq5Gnpo8Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuA-znVMY3I