Science Fenns K-5Grades K to 5
A toy car rolling down a cardboard ramp onto a floor marked with tape lines, with a ruler beside it.

Science / All lessons / Pushes, Pulls and Magnets

Design a Ramp Run

Plan a fair test of how far a car rolls.

Lesson 18 of 41

Try this first

Before we start

Today’s story

Design a Ramp Run

Pia stacks two books and leans a board on them. She lets a toy car go. It rolls down and across the floor. She wonders what would happen with three books.

To find out, she must keep everything else the same. Same car. Same floor. Same starting spot. She changes only the height.

A fair test lets you trust the result. The steps show how to plan a ramp run.

See it

Five steps. Every time.

    Hands on

    Ramp run

    30 minutes · Do this with a grown-up nearby

    You need

    • A board or stiff cardboard
    • Books
    • Toy car
    • Ruler or tape measure
    • Masking tape
    • Paper and pencil

    Do this

    1. Write the question and a prediction.
    2. Make a ramp with one book.
    3. Release the car at the same mark.
    4. Measure how far it rolls past the ramp.
    5. Repeat three times.
    6. Add a book and repeat.
    7. Make a table and find a pattern.
    Write or draw: A table with the number of books and three distances.

    Watch for: Notice what happens as the ramp gets steeper and whether any run looked odd.

    Safety: Keep the ramp stable so books do not fall on feet.

    Same every time

    Three rules

    Rule 1Change only one thing.

    Then the ramp is the only reason the car rolls differently.

    Rule 2Run it more than once.

    One run could be a fluke.

    Rule 3Measure the same way each time.

    That keeps the numbers fair.

    Grandpa Fenn’s notebook

    Say it like a scientist

    fair test
    A test where only one thing changes.
    variable
    The thing you choose to change.
    prediction
    What you think will happen.

    Poppy’s quiz

    Six questions

    Tap an answer. Green means right. You will see why.

    Talk about it

    Say it out loud

    • What pattern did you see in your data? How do you know?
    • Where have you seen ramps near home, like at a loading dock?
    Did you know

    Wheelchair ramps are designed with a gentle slope so they are easier to roll up.

    Someone who does this

    A civil engineer designs ramps and roads so vehicles travel safely.

    BeforeChange the MotionNext lessonLight and Sound