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← Summer Solo-Science

Week 8Releases August 10

Cardboard marble run

Build a track that carries a marble as SLOWLY as possible without stopping — a design challenge you'll rebuild several times.

For you to do

You'll tape ramps and tubes to a wall or board to guide a marble from top to bottom. The goal: make the trip as slow as you can while keeping the marble moving the whole way.

Grown-up help

All on your own.

Build version 1

Make a quick first track — your **prototype**. Don't aim for perfect; aim for finished, so you can test it.

Test and improve

  • Run the marble. Where does it stop or fly off? Fix that one spot.
  • Add a gentle zig-zag to slow it down — but too flat and it stops. That's a trade-off.
  • Keep a tally of how many versions it takes to get a smooth slow run.

What's happening

Push further

Add a loop, a jump, or a 'catch' that drops the marble into a cup at the end.

Gravity pulls the marble down (a **force**), while ramps redirect it. Each rebuild is an **iteration** — engineers almost never get it right the first time. Slower runs need gentle slopes, but go too gentle and friction wins. Finding that balance is the whole game.