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Magic Marbles with help of inertia Experiment (Inertia Science)

Physics marble track review part one // Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany

1. TOPIC: Principle of Kinetic Energy (STACEY)

PROCEDURE: Observe how potential energy turns into kinetic energy when the marble starts to move
down the roller coaster.
MATERIALS:

- Roller coaster made with tube or carton tissue roll

- Marble

STEPS:
1. Create a 12-inch roller coaster that is only going down.
2. Place the marble at the top of the roller coaster.
3. Push the marble down.
4. Observe how it is going down on its own.
Source: https://education.seattlepi.com/marble-physics-experiments-4769.html

2. TOPIC: Comparing Mass (NEIL)

PROCEDURE: Identify how mass affects movement and energy.
MATERIALS:

- 2 marbles with different sizes (one small, one big)

- Ramp with a certain length

STEPS:
1. Reuse the 12-inch roller coaster used in the 1st experiment.
2. First, the small marble will be used. Put it on the top of the rollercoaster.
3. Ready the timer. Start the timer at the same time with the marble being pushed.
4. Observe and write at what time the marble got into the end of the roller coaster.
5. Do the 2nd to 4th step again but with the bigger marble.
6. Compare the time obtained with both marble and analyze how the mass affects the movement of
the marble. Is one of them faster than the other? Why?
Source: https://education.seattlepi.com/marble-physics-experiments-4769.html

3. TOPIC: Momentum (STACEY)

PROCEDURE: Releasing multiple marbles simultaneously and observe how it affects the energies of the
marbles that act upon each other.
MATERIALS:

- Ruler with a ridge in the middle

- 5 marbles

STEPS:
1. Place 2 items that have the same height facing each other with a space in between for the rulers.
 2. Place a ruler in both of the items, and it would look like a ramp facing each other. The rulers
should look like an inverted triangle.
3. Line up the 5 marbles in the ridge of both rulers.
4. Now, move one marble from either side farther from the middle and let it slide.
5. Observe what happens to the other side when you release a marble.
6. Try releasing two, three, and so on.
7. Observe how the energy from the left affects the energy from the right.
Source: Momentum Marbles in a Newton's Cradle
https://www.comfsm.fm/~dleeling/physci/text/042lab04.xhtml

4. TOPIC: Velocity (ELLA)

PROCEDURE: To measure the velocity of the object, measure how much distance the marble travels
during a measured time interval.
MATERIALS:

- empty toilet paper roll

- scissors
- masking tape
- Tape measure
- Stopwatch

STEPS:
1. Let the marble roll along a smooth surface on the track.
2. Use a stopwatch to measure the time it takes for the marble to travel a certain length along the
track.
 3. Calculate its average velocity using the formula.

5. TOPIC: Collision (ELLA)

PROCEDURE: Show examples of elastic and inelastic collision.
MATERIALS:

- Marble
- Ball of clay

STEPS:
1. To demonstrate elastic collision, place two marbles on the opposite sides of the track.
2. Release both marbles and let them collide in the middle.
3. The marbles should bounce away from each other.
4. To demonstrate inelastic collision, place a marble on one side of the track and a ball of clay on
the other side.
5. Release both objects and let them collide in the middle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF2Ic50m7kQ
6. TOPIC: Free Fall (NEIL)
PROCEDURE: Show how two different objects fall at the same rate for which air resistance won’t be a
big factor. In this experiment, we will be using two round objects of different sizes. A person will stand
on a chair or any platform that would help him/her have greater ground clearance. The scientist will then
drop the two objects at the same time. Which item will drop first. The marble, the bigger object, or both?
MATERIALS:
-Marble
-a larger round object like a basketball
-slow-mo feature in a camera
-chair/stage
STEPS:
1. Prepare the 2 round objects of different sizes (one bigger, one smaller), camera, and
platform/stage.
2. The scientist will drop the two objects at the same height and time without standing on a
platform/stage. The event will be captured by a camera in slow motion.
3. The scientist will drop the two objects at the same height and time while standing on a
platform/stage. The event will be captured by a camera in slow motion.
4. Compare the two events. The question would be: Which round object reached the ground first.
Did the height where the objects were released from affected the result?
Source: https://youtu.be/BF2Ic50m7kQ
7. TOPIC: Laws of Motion (ELLA)
PROCEDURE: Construct a marble track that will demonstrate the laws of motion. To demonstrate the
first law of motion, we exert force on the marble to make it begin rolling on the track and walls to stop it
from moving continuously in the same direction. For the second law of motion, we use big and small
forces to see how it affects the marble's acceleration. Finally, for the third law of motion, when the marble
hits the walls of the track, it bounces off the walls. This will show that every action has an equal and
opposite reaction.
MATERIALS:

- Marble/s
- Same materials for the rollercoaster

STEPS:
1. On the same roller coaster, place the marble and push it to make it begin rolling down.
2. Observe as the walls stop it from moving continuously in one direction.
3. Make sure that at the end of the track, a wall will stop the marble from rolling.
4. Observe if it bounces off the wall.
Source: http://girlstart.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/24.Marble-Mazes.pdf

8. TOPIC: Gravity and Friction (STACEY)

PROCEDURE: Learn how different tracks (steep or gradual) affect the gravity or the force pulling the
marble down the slope, is it faster or slower? And as for the friction, we will know what surface or object
slows down the speed of marble.
MATERIALS:

- Cardboard
- Carton tissue roll
- Tape
- Sandpaper
- Bubble wrap
- Yarn
- Marble

STEPS:
1. Plan out the structure of the roller coaster. Create an outline to a cardboard and draw 3 types of
tracks. From less steep to steepest.
2. Cut the tissue cardboard in half to create half pipes that will serve as your ramps.
3. Secure the ramp by taping it to the base cardboard.
4. Before going to the experiment of gravity and friction, roll a marble from the top and time how
long it takes to travel every ramp.
5. Now, it is a must to make changes that will slow down or speed up the marbles.
 6. In the first ramp, line up the tubes with sandpaper. The second ramp will be bubble wrap, and
lastly the third ramp will be lined with yarn.
7. Roll a marble in every ramp and time how long it takes to reach the bottom.
8. After rolling a marble in all the ramps and timing it, compare the results to the original time
wherein the tubes have no linings.
9. Observe how they differ. Does the marble move faster in steep ramp or in less steep? Do the three
linings affect the speed of the marble?
Source: https://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-and-experiments/explore-gravity-and-friction-with-marble-
runs

Marble Track
Assembling the roller coaster
1. Plan out the structure of the roller coaster.
2. Cut out empty toilet paper rolls in half to form a U-shape that will later serve as a track for the
roller coaster.
3. Alternatively, cut out cardboard into several pieces that are 10 cm long and 7 cm wide. Bend the
pieces slightly to form a U-shape that will later serve as a track.
4. Adjust the length of the pieces accordingly. For shorter curves, cut it in half, leaving us with a 5
cm piece. For even shorter curves, use quarter-length or 2.5 cm pieces.
5. To build the long, straight sections of the rollercoaster, overlap the 10 cm pieces and use masking
tape to connect them. Tape the inside and outside of the track to secure it.
6. To easily build the curves of the rollercoaster, round off one end of each 5 cm and 2.5 cm piece.
Overlap each piece like the straight section but make an angle where the pieces connect. For
sharper curves, use the quarter-length pieces.
7. Prepare a big, flat cardboard that will act as the base of the roller coaster.
8. Assemble the track. Use toilet paper rolls, sticks, or thick cardboard as support.
9. Test it out and adjust the tracks if necessary.