Let it roll!

As students participate in using and building ramps, they will investigate how forces can move objects or change the direction of movement. They will also have opportunity to ask questions, make logical predictions, plan the investigation, and decide how to represent the data they generate. They will observe the familiar objects (ramp, ball) using their senses, and have opportunity to plan how to change the ramp design to achieve different results.

Weblink address (URL): 
Let it roll!

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 

Students will:

  • explore and measure the rate of spherical objects rolling down a ramp.

 

Essential and guiding questions: 
  • What do ramps help people do?
  • What tasks do they perform?
  • What problems would exist if we didn't have ramps?
  • Compare the time measurements of the lighter objects to those of the heavier objects. Did you expect these results?
  • What happens to the rate at which the objects travel when you change the number of books supporting the ramp?
  • What happens to the rate at which the objects travel when you roll them down the carpet-covered ramp?
  • Refer back to the earlier discussion on the uses of ramps. Ask students to think of times when they would want objects to go down the ramp more slowly (strollers, wheelchairs, "kiddie" slides). Ask students to think of times when they would want objects to go down the ramp more quickly (slides for bigger kids, waterpark, skateboarding).
  • If you wanted to make an object go down the ramp more slowly, what would you do? Draw and label the ramp that you would build.
  • If you wanted to make an object go down a ramp more quickly, what would you do? Draw and label the ramp that you would build.

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Understanding

Helpful Hints

Materials needed:

  • thin, stiff, wooden or plastic board, 8-12 inches wide and 12-16 inches long
  • 3 books, each 1 inch thick
  • piece of carpet to place on the board
  • 3-5 spherical objects of a variety of weights and sizes (ping-pong ball, marble, ball bearing, baseball)
  • stopwatch or clock with second hand
  • pencil and paper

References

Contributors: 
Kay Jordan
Originator: 
Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation