Roller skates vs roller blades

Ask questions about projects relating to: aerodynamics or hydrodynamics, astronomy, chemistry, electricity, electronics, physics, or engineering

Moderators: AmyCowen, kgudger, bfinio, MadelineB, Moderators

Locked
Peytonmommy
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 8:57 am
Occupation: Parent

Roller skates vs roller blades

Post by Peytonmommy »

My daughter is in 3rd grade and has to do a science project that can be on any subject.

I wanted to make sure it was a fun process so I told her to think about subjects she’s into right now so we will enjoy doing it.

She got roller skates for Christmas that can convert between in-line to quad skates by switching out the base and we happen to be going to a birthday party Sunday at a roller skating rink. So, she came up with the idea of comparing the two skates and seeing the difference in time the two have when rolling. For example, setting up a start and finish line that would be consistent on different surfaces. She would take off at starting line and skate until finish line where then she would just let her skates continue to roll without her using any force and then measure the distance of travel with each variable.

I’m having a hard time pinpointing what the experiment should be focusing on. I know there has to be items that are consistent and then items that have variables in order to prove whether your hypothesis is correct. I just need to be able to structure this the best way possible so it is clear for a third grader.

Thoughts:
Would her weight be the constant and the variable be the surface- asphalt, wooden rink, cement...etc. Then also, do the same test using both an inline and a quad skate.
Is it better to only conduct experiment on either/or an in-line or quad. Not conducted using both?
And how would we make sure she is going the same rate of speed with both or over multiple tests?

I know she will research friction, or at least I’ve seen friction experiments that handle similar tests so I am assuming this will be the reason for the differences. Am I correct?

I want this experiment to be simple enough for a third grader to be able to understand and that it has only one clear, reproducable result.

Can I get hep on narrowing down what I should use to be the project? Or if this is to complex of a subject.

Any help would be great!
Thanks
cumulonimbus
Former Expert
Posts: 102
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2017 9:23 am
Occupation: Student

Re: Roller skates vs roller blades

Post by cumulonimbus »

I think that is a great idea for an experiment, especially if your daughter is interested in it! I would suggest focusing on just one variable (either blade type or surface), although you could do two as long as you're not changing more than one variable at a time. Her weight would be constant as her mass does not change and I'm assuming you're still on Earth for all the trials :) . If you're changing blade type, then surface should be constant; if you're changing the surface, then blade type should be constant. It is, however, difficult to ensure that she's going at the same speed for all the tests. I would suggest that someone pushes her from a stationary position so you can see how far she travels due to the push; you would have to ensure that the push is at the same angle and the same strength though. Alternatively, if there are any small ramps at the rink, you could have her start at the top of the ramp and see how far she travels; that way, there isn't any variation in the force (this way is the best if at all possible). Finally, you would research friction; for example, she could research the coefficient of friction of asphalt, wood, cement, etc. Good luck and I hope this helped!

Elena
Locked

Return to “Grades K-5: Physical Science”