Lesson Plan

Let's Break the Particles

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This Let's Break the Particles lesson plan also includes:

Build learning by breaking atoms! Young scientists study the way energy changes with a hands-on activity. As they roll steel marbles down a ramp, learners test the hypothesis that kinetic energy does not go away with friction or collision — it simply changes to a different form.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Additional Tags
Instructional Ideas
  • Assign as a group experiment for a science fair
  • Include in a unit about kinetic energy and subatomic particles
  • If you don't want to introduce hot glue guns into the classroom, consider constructing the ramps before class begins (or enlisting industrious students for extra credit)
Classroom Considerations
  • Requires glass and steel marbles, plastic electrician tubes, adhesive putty, hot glue, and magnets
  • Prices for items are listed in euros, as the resource was published in Britain
Pros
  • Includes links to auxiliary videos
  • Pictures model how the experiment should look and function
Cons
  • None
Common Core