CONVERSEMOS:
Cuando acomodas una ficha de dominó, pones parte de cada dominó arriba. ¿Se te ocurre otra situación en la que poner algo "más arriba" hace que algo especial suceda?
Pista…
Piensa en cosas que viste en las lecciones anteriores.
CONVERSEMOS (1 de 2):
¿Acaso una ficha de dominó puede derribar una que es un poco más grande?
Haz la prueba tú mismo si puedes. Puedes usar libros si no tienes fichas de dominó. O ve a la siguiente página para ver un video en el que nosotros lo intentamos.
ESTO FUE LO QUE SUCEDIÓ:
¡Sí funcionó! Una ficha de dominó tiene la suficiente energía para derribar a una que es un poco más grande. Ahora ve a la siguiente página.
CONVERSEMOS (2 de 2):
Desafío: ¿Crees que sería posible derribar algo MUY grande (por ejemplo, una ficha de dominó del tamaño de un edificio) usando solo fichas de dominó pequeñas?
Haz un dibujo de tu idea.
CONVERSEMOS:
En términos de energía, ¿por qué es posible usar algo del tamaño de un ladrillo para derribar algo del tamaño de una casa pequeña?
¿Lo puedes explicar? Si quieres, puedes hacer un dibujo.
Piensa en esto: ¿En dónde está la energía almacenada? ¿De dónde viene la energía almacenada?
CONVERSEMOS:
¿Por qué crees que los científicos y las científicas dicen que la caída de muchas fichas de dominó es una reacción en cadena?
Si hay un compañero o una compañera cerca de ti, ustedes se pueden ayudar entre sí para hacer los siguientes pasos. Pero si estás trabajando solo o sola, no te preocupes.
Hemos incluido pasos especiales para ti. Si el paso dice que necesitas la ayuda de un compañero o compañera, ve al siguiente paso para ver cómo lo puedes hacer sola o solo.
In this lesson, students construct an explanation of how energy is stored, released, and transferred in chain reactions, such as falling dominoes. In the activity, Build a Chain Reaction (Part I), students are presented with an engineering design challenge to create their own chain reaction machine--a project they will continue in Lesson 5. Students experiment with a “Chain-Reaction Starter Kit.” This kit includes a lever and a ramp, which serve as the first two steps of a chain-reaction machine.
Preview activityChain-Reaction Starter Kit printout | 1 per student |
Marble Corral printout | 1 per student |
Markers
Must be at least 1/2" in diameter because it will serve as the fulcrum of a lever.
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Details
1 marker per student
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Rulers
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1 ruler per student |
Scissors
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1 pair per student |
Dixie Cups (3 oz)
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1 cup per student |
File Folder Labels (Stickers)
We prefer stickers because they are easier to distribute in a classroom.
Or pieces of tape.
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Details
3 labels per student
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Paper Clips
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1 clip per student |
Paper Cups (8 oz)
Cup cannot be more than 4" tall.
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Details
1 cup per student
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Rubber Bands (#32)
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1 band per student |
Small Marbles
1/2" marbles will also work.
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Details
1 marble per student
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We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can work on their own, but will need a partner to help with some steps.
We strongly recommend pairing this lesson with Lesson 5, “Can you build a chain reaction machine?” If you plan to do Lesson 5, don’t throw away the ramps that your students build in this lesson. Students will use these ramps when creating their very own chain reaction machine.
Marbles are very fun, but can be very distracting! We suggest waiting to distribute marbles to students until Step 17 of the activity.
Student slideshow: English | Spanish
Teacher printout: English & Spanish
In this reading, students learn how a rubber band-powered toy airplane helped inspire other early flying machines.
In this reading, students learn how different types of energy occur during a roller coaster ride.
In this reading, students learn what a Rube Goldberg machine is.
La Macchina Botanica (The Botanical Machine) starts when a ball rolls down a ramp and ends by watering a plant. Watch the video for fun. Then watch it again, looking for places that energy is stored. Can you identify where energy is stored and how energy is transferred from one object to another.
Some questions to talk about:
If you don’t have dominoes but you want to make a long contraption that will fall down in an interesting way, you’re in luck. All you need to make a herringbone chain is popsicle or craft sticks and paper cups.
This 7-minute video from Kinetic King Tim Fort tells you everything you need to know.
Looking at the chain reactions that other people have built will give you ideas for your own chain reaction. There are many chain reactions online. Here are some of our favorites.
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