Roll, Slide, Bounce, Spin

Lab Brief #15

🎯 Your mission

Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.

⚡ The twist

The opposite of what you expect is often what happens.

What you'll learn

Things roll, slide, bounce, or spin depending on their shape and the forces acting on them.

Key words

gravity
A force that pulls things down toward the Earth.
friction
A force that slows things down when two surfaces rub together.

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: what happens if you double the force?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

ramps

⚠️ Safety first

Small parts and balloon fragments are a choking hazard — keep them away from young children.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the new words. Can you say each one?

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Make a ramp from a book. Roll a marble down from different heights. Measure how far it rolls.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Compare what happened to what you predicted.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Tell the class one thing you learned today.

Question 1 of 3

Which shape rolls best?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

A flat book pushed across a table will usually:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

Which object bounces well?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🎢 You feel weightless on a roller coaster because you and the seat are falling at the same speed.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

Next: Throw It Up, Gravity Wins All lessons

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: You use this every time you flip a light switch, ride a bike, or kick a ball.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Time how long a small ball rolls down something, then change the slope and try again.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.”

🏋️Share card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

Roll, Slide, Bounce, Spin

Next Smart Experiment

Share this experiment

Roll, Slide, Bounce, Spin

Done with science? Try something else

Your Cart (0)