Students see for themselves how gravity acts to pull objects.
Activity A2: Marvellous marbles and reliable ramps [PDF, 191 KB]
This is a hands-on exploratory activity which involves the students rolling a marble down a ramp.
Repeat 3 times from one starting point and average the results, then change the angle of the ramp.
Discussion about keeping the launch point of the marble the same each time will assist students to understand the need for a consistent method if their results are to have meaning or be compared to another group's results.
At some stage, introducing the terms “variables” (in this case the angle of the ramp) and “constants” (in this case the launch position) may be appropriate. Aim to encourage student talk in order to find a relationship between gravity, angle and speed.
This activity is adapted from Building Science Concepts Book 42: Marbles. Additional content support for teachers can be found in this book.
Book 42: Marbles: Exploring Motion and Forces (TKI - Science online)(external link)
Investigating in Science – ask questions, find evidence, explore simple models and carry out appropriate investigations to develop simple explanations (Level 3-4).
NZ Curriculum | Science achievement objectives(external link)
Gather and interpret data, use evidence.
The five science capabilities (TKI - Science online)(external link)
Physical World. Explore, describe and represent patterns and trends for everyday examples of physical phenomena, such as movement, forces (Level 3-4).
Gravity is a force which acts to pull objects.
Friction is a force between objects when they move over one another. It can be both useful and a problem.
The students can...