How does different surfaces affect the momentum of a marble?

Question for Guided Inquiry – How do different surfaces affect the momentum of a marble?

Briefly describe what happened during the experiment. What were your results?

Materials – Marbles, Meter Sticks and different flooring (linoleum, concrete, hardwood, rug, and indoor carpet)

I placed two meter sticks down as a track for one marble to roll down perfectly, I then put two marbles on the track together and they were fifteen centimeters a part. I would then flick the first marble toward the second marble and measure the distance the second marble would travel (how much momentum was being transferred from the first marble to the second marble). I found out that the rug and indoor carpeting were not good surfaces for momentum to transfer between marbles, where the concrete, linoleum, and hardwood allowed for a greater amount of momentum transfer between the two.

What went well during the experiment? What did not work well?

The experiment went really well, I didn’t have any troubles at all with finding materials, creating a track, or collecting the data.

Based on your past experiences with scientific inquiry, what modifications would you make to this experiment to get a different or modified result?

One adjustment to the experiment would be to add a third marble into the setting, and shortening the distance between the marbles down to see how momentum is transferred between all three. Another example of a modification would be to add a slope to the setting for the marble to roll down, instead of flicking the marble to start it.

How might you set up this or a similar experiment for students in your classroom? How could you make this experiment more fun, interesting, or engaging for your students? How might you design this experiment so that it is relevant to the students’ lives?

We have run this experiment in the classroom before and the kids really enjoy it, and they do a really good job of taking great data for this as well. The students really get involved when I ask the students to modify or adjust the setting for different results. For middle schoolers, most of them will be getting their first experiences behind a wheel very soon. So this experiment would be relevant to them in that it could emulate a car crash, and what kind of surfaces allow for bigger collisions.

What specifically would you like students to learn from this experiment? Did you achieve this goal?

Students will be introduced to the concept of friction and how friction has an affect on an objects ability to transfer momentum to another object. (Yes, we did achieve this goal)