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Driving Question: How does the neodymium ball gain enough speed to overcome the curve at the end of the track?
The potential energy of the first ball was multiplied throughout the line of ball bearings. The result is the last ball bearing firing off the end of the line through the course with an increased speed and enough energy to overcome the curve and the forces of friction towards the end of the track.
Introduction
The Gauss Linear Accelerator, is a simple yet complex machine that is designed to demonstrate momentum, kinetic energy, potential energy, electromagnetism, friction, velocity, acceleration, and Newton’s Laws of Physics.
Materials
10 Steel ball bearings
5 neodymium magnets
Track loop
Procedure
1) On the track loop, at the closest end, set up the steel balls and magnets.
2) The order they should be placed in is - all steel bearings and one neodymium magnet closest to the beginning of the track.
3) Slowly roll a neodymium magnet towards the other neodymium magnet.
4) Repeat step three until there are no more steel ball bearings
Scientific Explanation
The science behind this demonstration is actually quite simple. If you cannot see already, the project is set up with steel ball bearings in the front and one gold colored neodymium magnet in the back. The magnet that I release from my hand is attracted towards the other neodymium magnet in the back of the line. This leads to the released magnet to have an impact in the back of the ball bearing line, which eventually causes the steel ball bearing at the front to fire itself from the line, accelerating through the rest of the track. This happens because the potential energy in which the original magnet had as it was causing an impact to the first magnet was multiplied throughout the line of ball bearings, leading to an increased velocity and energy output in the final ball bearing. As you can see, the ball is able to go a further distance than that of the magnetic attraction at the start.
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