Guided Inquiry Experience
Guided inquiry is a planned, targeted, and supervised intervention throughout the inquiry process (Kuhlthau, 2010). The question I chose to focus on for my guided inquiry is, “How do different surfaces affect the momentum of marbles?” I tested three different floor surfaces in and around my home. I used the carpet in my living room, the tile in my bathroom, and the concrete in my garage. I built a ten centimeter inclined plane, using my husbands’ plastic Hot Wheels racecar track.
I rolled the marble down the inclined plane three times to each surface I tested. The smoother surfaces allowed the marble to roll further because there was less friction and greater momentum. The momentum sped up the marble and allowed it to roll further. I was not surprised with my results. They were the results I predicted and expected. The marble rolled the furthest across the surface of the concrete because there was less friction. It rolled the shortest distance across the carpet in my living.
This was a simple guided inquiry investigation. There were several things that went well with this activity. It did not require a lot of preparation or materials. I used a marble, flexible track, and various surfaces. It did not take a long time to complete the activity. I rolled the marble down the track to test each surface three times. There were some things that did not go well. I had a difficult time finding different surfaces in my house. Most of the surfaces in my house are carpet.
Based on my experiences with scientific inquiry, modifications I would make to this experiment to get a different or modified result would be to use a variety of surfaces to test momentum. I would use the grass in my yard or the concrete in my driveway. I would use a variety of different size marbles. I would also modify the height of my inclined plane because height affects momentum.
I would set up this experiment for my 7th grade students and have test different surfaces and marble sizes. For example, they could test the gymnasium floor or the carpet in the auditorium. I would encourage them to use other objects, such as toy cars, golf balls, or tennis balls. Testing different objects and surfaces would make this experiment more fun, interesting, and engaging for my students. To make this lesson relevant, I will discuss how different surfaces affect skateboarding. A lot of my male students are interested in skateboarding.
The goal is to understand how surfaces affect momentum. In this activity, momentum was not affected by the mass and velocity of the marbles because both of these variables were constant. They remained constant until the surfaces changed. When the surfaces changed, friction became a more noticeable factor. The momentum of the marble slowed as it rolled over the carpet compared to its momentum as it rolled over the concrete. I know my students would achieve this goal.
