The aim of this piece of work is to investigate the factors that affect how fast a marble/ball bearing travels once it has travelled down the curtain rail.

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Roller Ball Experiment

Planning

Aim:

The aim of this piece of work is to investigate the factors that affect how fast a marble/ball bearing travels once it has travelled down the curtain rail.

Factors:

There are 5 main factors that affect the speed of the marble/ball bearing once it hits the ground after travelling down a curtain rail.

  • The surface may well change as it changes from the curtain rail to the floor. It could be smoother or rougher. If it’s rougher the ball will slow down its speed quite quick due to friction whereas if it were smoother it would travel a further distance because it will have a higher speed. It will be easier to pass over the surface if it is smooth.

  • The marble/ball bearing itself could be of importance. Its weight and diameter could affect the speed. The bigger and heavier the ball the shorter the distance it will travel because the speed will be slower than with a small light ball which will travel faster.

  • Another point would be the height of the beginning of the track from the floor. The higher the track the faster the ball will travel when it comes off the end. However, if the track is very close to the floor the marble/ball bearing will not get very far due to low speed. This is the most important factor because it more or less determines the speed the marble/ball bearing is going to travel and how far it is going to travel.

  • Air resistance may play a minor part in the speed of the marble/ball bearing. There is nearly always air resistance therefore it could slow the ball down a tiny fraction.

  • The length of the track could play a large part. The longer the track the faster the marble/ball bearing has to go to get a longer distance. If it is a short track the ball bearing will be at a higher speed as it reaches the floor because it hasn’t had much time to slow down.

Fair Test

For this to be a fair test everything has to be done equally. If you decide to choose the height of the track to be the most influential factor then that is the only thing we must vary.

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The same ball must be used for each test. If not the size of the ball could speed up or slow down the average speed of the same ball.

The same track must be used each time. If not the different tracks could have a rougher or smoother surface from each other and this may affect the speed of the marble/ball bearing once reached the floor.

Before timing each test the distance measured and timed at the end of the curtain rail must be the same each time you do it.

It must also be done in the same ...

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