Build yours at home
Wheel roll
What we're doing
Roll a small wheel and a big wheel three turns each. Which goes farther? Then find out which one rolls over a bump.
About 15 minutes.
Goes with these lessons
Get these parts
- A jar lid (small wheel) and a paper plate or big pot lid (big wheel) (household)
- Masking tape and a pencil (household)
- A floor with tiles to count, or a tape measure (household)
Keep it safe
Roll on a clear, dry floor. Watch for slipping on hard floors.
Steps
- 1Wheel size test
Stick a small tape tab on the edge of each wheel.
- 2
Put a strip of tape on the floor as the start line.
- 3
Stand the jar lid on the start line with its tab touching the floor. Roll it until the tab has touched the floor three more times. Put tape where it stops.
- 4
Do the same with the big wheel. Count the tiles to each piece of tape. The big wheel went much farther, because its edge is longer.
- 5Ways to move
Lay the pencil across the floor as a bump. Roll each wheel at it. The big wheel rolls over; the small one gets stuck.
- 6
Peel up the tape.
Talk while you build
- Which wheel goes farther in three turns?
- Which wheel gets over the pencil bump?
Spot it at home
- Mars rovers' big wheels, diggers' tracks, snowmobiles, animals' legs on rocks, a stroller stuck on gravel.
Which way to move would work on our stairs?
- A grown-up's bike and a kid's bike, stroller wheels and toy car wheels, a measuring wheel.
Why do tiny wheels need to spin so fast to keep up?