Marble Raceway
Challenge Time Frame: Can be done in as little as 30 minutes or up to several hours depending on the age and engagement of the students
Materials:
- 6ft lengths of pipe insulation, 1.5in diameter
- Masking tape
- 2oz or 3oz plastic/cups
- marbles
Prep notes:
The lengths of pipe insulation come pre-cut down one side. Use a box cutter to cut the length down the other side, creating two half-pipes. Each student group needs to have at least two of the half-pipes, preferably three. If possible, provide additional extra half-pipes for later exploration.
Set up:
Each student group will receive 2 lengths of the half-pipe, a paper/plastic cup and a marble. Keep additional half-pipes, extra cups and extra marbles at a central location. Adults should handle the tape or students will tend to use far more tape than necessary to do the job.