How do different surfaces affect the momentum of marbles?

The question that I selected for this application is, “How do different surfaces affect the momentum of marbles?”

The materials required for this guided inquiry experience are two meter sticks, tape, two marbles of the same size and mass, an object that can create an inclined surface when placed under one end of the board, foam poster board or other movable flat surface, and a remnant of carpet. I followed the following procedure:
1. Place area carpet over half of the foam poster board.
2. Tape one meter stick to the poster board and one meter stick to the carpeted area.
3. Place the poster board on an object to create a slight incline.
4. Hold the marbles at the top of the poster board against each meter stick, one marble on the carpet and one marble on the foam poster board.
5. Release the marbles at the same time.
6. Observe which marble stops last.
7. Perform three trials. Switch marbles and perform three additional trials.
8. Create a data table and record data. Place a check mark in the column of the marble that stopped rolling last. This is the marble with the most momentum.


During this activity I confirmed that surfaces do affect the momentum of marbles. This is what I expected. The carpeted surface had more friction, and this reduced the momentum of the marble.

The experiment worked out well. The challenge I had was being able to find various surfaces to place on the poster board for testing purposes. In the future, I will test more surfaces. In addition to carpet, I can use corrugated cardboard, linoleum, bricks, and rubber matting in the experiment. In order to be more interesting, students can also test their personal clothing items, such as scarves, as a surface.

I can set this experiment up in my classroom without difficulty. At the middle school level, many students cannot wait to drive. I can make this relevant to their lives by explaining to them that moving vehicles have momentum. I can also share information about how vehicles with more mass, like tractor trailers, have more mass and have greater difficulty stopping than small cars. In addition, we can investigate how water makes surfaces slick, making it difficult for vehicles to stop on wet roads.

I want students to learn that surfaces affect the momentum of objects. I believe this goal will be achieved with this experiment.