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In this activity, challenge learners to design a roller coaster ride for a marble using cardboard and other simple materials. The goal is to have the marble go slow, so it takes as long as possible to go from the top of the board to the bottom. Use this activity to introduce friction. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]
- Under 5 minutes
- 30 to 45 minutes
- $1 - $5 per student
- Ages 6 - 11
- Activity
- English, Spanish
Quick Guide
Materials List (per student)
- large piece of cardboard or foam core (about 20 x 30 inches)
- ruler
- masking tape
- building materials (things like construction paper, paper towel tubes, sandpaper, yarn, cloth, cotton balls, sponge, clay)
- marble
Subjects
-
Engineering and Technology
- Engineering
-
Mathematics
-
Geometry
- Plane Geometry
-
Geometry
-
Physical Sciences
-
Motion and Forces
- Gravity
- Momentum and Velocity
- Structure and Properties of Matter
-
Motion and Forces
-
The Nature of Science
-
The Scientific Process
- Asking Questions
- Conducting Investigations
- Gathering Data
- Formulating Explanations
- Communicating Results
-
The Scientific Process
-
The Nature of Technology
-
The Design Process
- Invention and Innovation
- Problem Solving
- Troubleshooting and Maintenance
-
The Design Process
Informal Categories
- Toys
Audience
To use this activity, learners need to:
- see
- touch
Learning styles supported:
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
Other
Foreign language versions of this resource:
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
Rights:
- All rights reserved, WGBH Educational Foundation, 2003
Funding Sources:
- National Science Foundation, 0229796
- Corporation for Public Broadcasting
- PBS