Marble Run

Words to know:

Gravity:
A force that pulls objects downward toward the center of the Earth, helping your marble move through the run.

Incline:
A sloped surface or ramp that lets your marble roll downhill, gaining speed as it moves.

Friction:
A force that slows down or stops objects when they rub against each other, like when a marble touches the track or bumps into walls.

Acceleration:
When an object, like your marble, speeds up as it moves down a steep section of the marble run.

Momentum:
The amount of motion your marble has, which helps it keep moving forward after going downhill.

Stability:
How steady and secure your marble run is, so it doesn’t fall apart or tip over when the marble is rolling through it.

Prototype:
A simple version of your marble run that you build first to test your ideas and make improvements.

Iteration:
Repeatedly trying, testing, and changing your marble run to make it better each time.

Trajectory:
The path your marble follows through the air when it jumps or falls off one part of the run to another.

Engineering Design Process:
Steps engineers use—like planning, building, testing, and fixing—to create something that works well, such as a marble run.