Choose the sheet for the learner's age. Each prints on a single page. Build the project first, then fill it in together.
Ages 5-7: Draw & tell
Name: ______________________Date: ____________
Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany · High Road, Low Road Race · Ages 5-7
The Marble Race
Race two marbles. Which road wins?
1. Guess first: which marble will win?
◯ High road◯ Low road◯ A tie
2. Draw your two roads. Color the high road one color and the low road another color.
3. Which marble won the race?
◯ High road◯ Low road◯ A tie
4. Which road is longer?
◯ High road◯ Low road
5. Put a star on your drawing where the low-road marble went the fastest.
Ages 8-10: Predict, test & record
Name: ______________________Date: ____________
Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany · High Road, Low Road Race · Ages 8-10
High Road, Low Road
Predict, race the marbles, and record what happens.
1. Predict: which marble will reach the end first?
◯ High road◯ Low road◯ They will tie
2. Why did you predict that?
3. Race the marbles. Swap them after race 3.
Race
Marbles swapped?
Winner
4. Measure each road with string. High road: ______ Low road: ______. Which is longer?
5. What did you find out?
6. Why do you think the longer road can win the race?
Ages 11-14: Explain & design your own test
Name: ______________________Date: ____________
Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany · High Road, Low Road Race · Ages 11-14
Energy on the Low Road
Use energy ideas to explain the race, then design your own test.
1. Both marbles start and finish at the same height. Using the words potential energy and kinetic energy, explain why the low-road marble wins even though its road is longer.
2. Sketch the low road from the side. Mark where the marble is fastest (F) and slowest (S).
3. Ignoring friction, how do the two marbles' speeds compare when they reach the finish?
◯ High road faster◯ Low road faster◯ About the same
4. Design a fair test: change the depth of the dip (or add hills) and race 3 times each.
Low road shape
Race 1 winner
Race 2 winner
Race 3 winner
5. In your test, what did you change, what did you observe, and what did you keep the same?
6. Where else does going lower first get something there faster? Give one real-world example.
Answer guide for grown-ups
Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany · High Road, Low Road Race · Answer guide
Answer guide
Ages 5-7: The Marble Race
Any guess is fine; it gets tested next. (Result: the low road wins.)
Open answer: look for effort and careful observation.
Low road
Low road
Anywhere along the bottom of the dip.
Ages 8-10: High Road, Low Road
Any prediction is fine; it gets tested next. (Result: the low road wins.)
Any reason is fine (for example: the high road is shorter; the low road goes downhill).
Open answer: look for effort and careful observation.
The low road is longer.
The low-road marble wins almost every race, even after swapping marbles, so it's the road, not the marble.
It drops lower, so it turns more of its height into speed. It goes faster for most of the trip, which makes up for the extra distance.
Ages 11-14: Energy on the Low Road
Both start with the same potential energy. The low-road marble drops lower sooner, so more potential energy becomes kinetic energy and it moves faster for most of the trip. Its higher average speed more than makes up for the extra distance.
Fastest (F) at the lowest part of the dip; slowest (S) at the start (and slower again as it climbs to the finish).
About the same (they end at the same height, so they have the same kinetic energy).
Open answer: look for effort and careful observation.
Changed: the depth of the dip (or number of hills). Observed: which marble finished first. Kept the same: the marbles, start and finish heights, the release method, the high road.
Examples: a skier tucking into a steep drop, a roller coaster's first big drop, a skateboarder pumping down into a half-pipe, a ball rolling through a valley.