What it shows
A marble always rolls downhill. Tilting the board changes its direction and speed, so the player has to plan the slopes.
The science
Gravity pulls the marble downhill. On a flat board it does not move, but when you tilt it the component of gravity along the slope makes it roll. The steeper the tilt, the faster the marble accelerates. The walls of the maze stop it and make it turn. Friction with the board slows it a little.
Materials
Cost: under Rs 50. Many items come from home or from waste; spare parts such as LEDs, motors and wire are in the store.
- A shallow cardboard box lid
- Ice-cream sticks
- Fevicol or glue
- A marble
- Coloured paper
- A stopwatch
Safety
For this project: Keep marbles away from small children. An adult must cut the cardboard.
Never use mains electricity: power models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Sharp and hot tools, flames and lab chemicals need an adult or your teacher beside you. Keep magnets, button cells and small parts away from young children, and wash your hands after making.
All the safety rulesStep by step
8 steps. Do them in order, and test each part before you go on to the next. Write what you notice in a notebook as you go.
Paint the inside of the lid to make a start and finish area.
Glue ice-cream sticks as walls to make a maze, leaving gaps wide enough for the marble.
Make a few holes as traps, or draw them with a marker.
Place the marble at the start and tilt the lid to roll it along.
Time how long it takes to reach the finish.
Try a gentle tilt and a steep tilt and compare.
Let a friend play and compare times.
Draw a map of the maze with the shortest path marked.
What you should see
A working maze and a record of times; gentle tilts are slow but controlled and steep tilts are fast but risky.
Viva questions
A teacher or a judge will ask how it works. Try to answer each question before you open it, then compare.
1Why does the marble roll?
Gravity pulls it down the slope.
2What does a steeper tilt do?
It makes the marble speed up faster.
3Why are walls needed?
To stop and direct the marble.
4What slows the marble?
Friction.
Take it further
Make the board adjustable in slope with a hinge and measure the time against angle.
Change one thing, measure what happens, and add a table or chart of your readings: that is what turns a model into your own investigation.
Free ebooks for this project
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