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  • STEAMfest 2023 
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Register Now!
    • Activities
    • Village Square
    • Door Prizes
    • Past Years 
      • Live 2022
  • About 
    • Mission
    • History
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    • News & Blog
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  • Get Involved 
    • Volunteer
    • Create An Activity
    • Become A Patron
    • Village Square 
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Marble Run

Build a marble run lasting 60 seconds!

Cardboard. Sticky tape. Marbles. Can you build a run that keeps the marble going for at least a minute?

The brief

Use a cardboard box and cardboard struts to create a marble run. The marble must run for 60 seconds.

The method

  1. Use tape to attach the cardboard struts to the cardboard box, creating a run for the marble.
  2. Place the marble at the top of the run and time how long it takes for it to reach the bottom.
  3. Keep improving your design until the marble takes exactly 60 seconds to reach the bottom.

Top tip

If you can’t find cardboard struts, make your own by folding four inch wide strips of cardboard in half to create a V shape.

The process

  1. Watch the video above.
  2. Check out the “challenge card” in the download section. It has a great diagram showing how to a marble run.
  3. Get busy and build your own marble run!
  4. Record results and a picture in your journal.
Journal Questions
  1. Tell us about your marble run?
  2. What was your run time?
  3. What did not work very well?
  4. If you were to try again what would you do differently?

Earn badges and qualify for prize drawing by registering and answering journal questions. It's fun and easy!

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Topics

Engineering
Grade Level
4-5
6-8

Creator

James Dyson Foundation
ENGINEERING THE FUTURE

Curator

STEAMfest

STEAMfest

Imagine, Discover, Explore

Materials

  • Large cardboard box
  • Cardboard struts
  • Tape
  • Marbles
  • Scissors (with adult supervision)

Downloads

JDF_Challenge_Card_Marble_Run

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  Photography by: Georgina Emily Photography

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