Online Activity: DIY Marble Run
Join our virtual host Matthew and Americorp MakerSpace Coordinator Clayton to learn how you can make your own Marble run with items you find around your house.
In this project you are the engineer and you’ll problem solve to design a Marble Run. The key to keeping your marble rolling is to understand the forces acting on it, especially gravity and friction. Gravity constantly pulls down on the marble, causing it to roll on any surface that’s not perfectly level.
Before you begin you’ll need to gather the supplies: paper, cardboard, pencil, ruler or straight edge, scissors, hot glue gun with glue sticks, cardboard paper towel or toilet paper roll, and optional: paper cup (if you don’t have it, don’t worry, it’s not necessary to complete this really fun recycling STEM activity!)
You can experiment by timing how fast your marble travels from each entrance point. How does the angle of the slope affect the marbles speed?
If you liked this lesson and want to discover more, visit these links on gravity, friction, and the three R’s:
Be sure to share a photo of your design with us in the comments section on YouTube or on social media. We can’t wait to see what you made!
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