From Here to There
How would you design and build a structure that can transfer a small ball between two points bridging a 6-foot gap?
What you will need:
- Small balls of various mass and size
(marbles, Styrofoam balls, etc.) - 5 sheets of paper
- 5 paper clips
- 5 rubber bands
- 10 feet of string or yarn
- 20 inches of tape (masking or painter’s tape is best)
- 2 pieces of furniture separated by a 6-foot distance
- Scissors
Here’s what to do:
Well, it’s totally up to you. Here are the engineering challenges:
- you can use less but not more of the suggested materials
- the ball cannot be thrown
- once the ball is in motion, the set-up and the ball cannot be touched.
Take it further:
- How many different structural set-ups can you think of?
- How does your engineering strategy change if the two points are not level with each other?
- How does the size or mass of the ball affect how the ball travels between the two points?
- Can you increase the distance the ball travels using the limited materials?
