Roller Coaster Experiment With Marbles

To make the roller coasters you ll need foam pipe insulation which is sold by the six foot increments at the hardware store.

Roller coaster experiment with marbles.

Loop the loop with a little physics. Keep an eye. You ll build a roller coaster track for marbles using foam pipe insulation and masking tape and see how much the marble s potential energy at the beginning of the track is converted to kinetic energy at various points along the track. A steeper slope will accelerate the marble the faster however the total track length will be longer.

Demonstrate how the marble can roll in the track. Add tip ask question comment download. What type of slope will accelerate the marble the fastest. Roller coaster physics this is the best way to learn about physics.

For the roller coaster itself you ll use marbles. Build a miniature roller coaster and see if you can get marbles to go the distance and upside down. Identify the two parts. Foam pipe insulation marbles utility knife tape tape measure i used a laser distance measure supports for the rollercoaster books cans shelves etc.

There are as many possible variations to this project as there are twists and turns on a great roller coaster ride but a good place to start is to see how much initial height you need in order to have your marble successfully navigate a loop in the track. The marble relies on the force of gravity to speed it up as it travels down the track. If a rollercoaster s rise is higher then the marble will be more likely to complete the loop because it will have more potential energy to convert to kinetic energy. Abstract if you d like to investigate the physics of amusement park rides then this project is for you.

Safety tips and troubleshooting. Show students the construction techniques from steps 3 6 in 5 minutes or less. All you need is a handful of marbles several pieces of foam pipe insulation a few rolls of masking tape and a crowd of participants.