Name of Activity | Journey to the Earth’s Core | Author | Kristen Burns and Sarah Halpert | Keywords | sturdy car, rock, travel, ramp, layers, earth, crust, mantle, core, axles, bushings, car, density, plate tectonics, mass, friction | Subject | Simple Machines | Grade Level | 4, 5, 6 | Time | 1 Hour Total | Brief Description | The kid’s needed to design a sturdy car that will hold a rock (small pebble). The car will then | travel down a ramp that is labeled with the layers of the earth. The upper half of the ramp
was the crust and the lower half of the ramp was the mantle. The floor directly after the ramp
was labeled the outer core and following the outer core was the inner core section. The kids
had to adjust the axles and bushings on the car to allow it to travel farther. Once the cars were
finished we tested them on the ramp to see how far into the “earth” they went.
Lesson Objectives: | Review density and how to measure the mass of an object | Build a sturdy car and tweak it to allow it to travel the furthest down the ramp
Learn the layers of the earth
Materials Needed: | Simple Machine Kit | Materials for a ramp
Paper to cover the ramp that depicts the layers of the earth
Small rocks
Scales
Preparation and Set Up: | Get a large piece of paper and cut it down to fit the ramp while allowing some extra to account | for the outer and inner core section. Design the paper with fun facts about each layer
(temperature, thickness, etc.).
Necessary Background | Vocabulary: | Density
Plate Tectonics
Mass
Axle and Bushing
Friction
Procedure | 1. Explain density and the theory of plate tectonics. Also, review how to measure the mass of an object. 2. Have them start building the cars. Make sure that the cars have a spot to hold the rock and that they are sturdy. Explain how to adjust the bushings to account for less friction. 3. Take the mass of the rock. 4. Test the cars on the ramp and see how far into the “earth” they were able to travel. 5. Fill out the worksheet. | Extensions: | If a group finishes early ask them if they can make the car go further. |