Ramp Race Weight Test

What you need

• Toy cars, 2 identical
• Painter's tape, a few strips
• Paper, 1 sheet
• Crayons or markers, 1 pencil
• Board, 1, about 60 cm (2 feet) long
• Book, 7 to 9
• Coins, 3 or 4
• Ball, 1 (optional)
• Block, 1 (optional)

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Clear a stretch of floor about two metres long and set out a stack of books. Keep coins away from little ones, as they are a choking hazard, and make sure they are taped down firmly.

1. Prop your board on the stack of books to make a ramp.
2. Choose two toy cars that match.
3. Tape a few coins on top of one car.
4. Guess which car will reach the bottom first.
   Ask: Will the heavy car or the light car win, or will it be a tie? Why do you think so?
5. Hold both cars at the top and let go at the same moment.
6. Race five times and write down the winner each time.
   Ask: Did the same car win every time? What do you notice?
7. Add more books to make the ramp steeper, then race again.
8. Race a car against a ball and a block.
9. Now show your friends, or try a new race on the ramp!
   Ask: What would you like to race next, and what do you think will happen?

Play it again

• Rough road: tape a towel or a sheet of paper on the ramp and see how it changes the race.
• Weight showdown: add more coins one at a time and see if the car gets faster.
• Mystery objects: race things from around the house, like a spool, a marble or a small box.