Transfer of Energy Marble Roll

This week and last week have been nuts. It's taken a massive amount of organization and a whole lot of crockpot dinners to keep us going. Despite the way our schedule has blown up, I'm still fitting in learning opportunities; it's a priority.

This one takes 5 minutes and uses two supplies: a wooden ruler and 3 (or more) glass marbles.

Don't let its simplicity fool you. This short science experiment packs a lot of educational punch.

Set it Up
Place one marble on the end of the ruler in its recessed middle.

Place two more marbles in the middle; make sure they touch.

Make a Hypothesis
What will happen when I flick the single marble and send it careening down the marble toward the other two? Will all the marbles rolls off the ruler?

Test Your Theory
Give the single marble a nudge and watch as it rolls down the ruler. When it hits the first marble, it stops. The energy from the marble is transferred through the second marble to the third marble, which suddenly begins rolling to the opposite end of the ruler. WOW!

This great experiment came from Frugal Fun 4 Boys. This blogger's child(ren) experimented with different numbers of marbles, flicking the single marble at as many as four marbles that were stationary in the middle of the ruler. Visit her blog to read about their findings!