Create Your Own Loop Track
Design and build a tabletop loop track using cardboard, tape, and marbles to test speed, angles, and momentum through hands on experimentation.
Step-by-step guide to Create Your Own Loop Track
Step 1
Gather all the Materials Needed and clear a flat table to work on.
Step 2
Cut a rectangular cardboard base about 30 cm by 20 cm so you have a stable platform.
Step 3
Cut a long cardboard strip 3 to 4 cm wide to use for the loop track.
Step 4
Form the strip into a circular loop and tape the ends together so the loop holds its round shape.
Step 5
Measure the loop height from the bottom to the top with your ruler and write that number on your paper.
Step 6
Cut two small cardboard support blocks about 3 to 5 cm high to hold the loop upright.
Step 7
Tape the support blocks to the base where the loop will stand so they stay in place.
Step 8
Stand the loop on the supports and tape the bottom edge of the loop to the supports and base to secure it upright.
Step 9
Cut another cardboard strip 3 to 4 cm wide to make a ramp that will feed marbles into the loop.
Step 10
Attach the ramp to the base so its bottom meets the loop entrance and the top is free to be propped up.
Step 11
Prop the top of the ramp on the small box or books so the ramp start is about 25% higher than the loop height you measured, then smooth the ramp and loop inside with tape so marbles roll easily.
Step 12
Place a marble at the top of the ramp and release it without pushing to test your loop; adjust the ramp height or loop taping and run a few trials to see how speed and angle change the result.
Step 13
Share your finished loop track and what you learned from your tests on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can I use instead of corrugated cardboard, marbles, or clear tape if I can't find them?
If you don't have corrugated cardboard, use a cereal box, magazine, or foam board for the 30×20 cm base and loop strips, swap marbles for a small bead, washer, or ping‑pong ball, and replace clear tape with white glue, hot glue (with adult help), or clothespins to hold the loop while glue dries.
My marble keeps falling out of the loop or the loop collapses — how do I fix that?
Tighten and retape the loop ends, press the loop's bottom edge firmly to the taped support blocks and base, smooth the inside with extra tape per the instructions, and raise the ramp to about 25% higher than the measured loop height to give the marble enough speed to complete the loop.
How can I change the activity for younger children or make it more challenging for older kids?
For younger kids, pre‑cut the 3–4 cm strips, use larger balls and wider strips, and help tape the supports to the base, while older kids can precisely measure the loop height with a ruler, record different ramp heights and trial results, and experiment with different loop diameters and ramp angles.
What are simple ways to improve or personalize the loop track after the basic test runs?
Decorate the 30×20 cm base, add a second connected loop or a cardboard tunnel, install a cardboard launch gate at the ramp start, or time runs with a stopwatch to compare how changing ramp height and loop height affects the marble's speed and success.
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Facts about motion and momentum
⚖️ Conservation of energy means a marble starting higher has more potential energy to turn into speed as it rolls down.
📦 Corrugated cardboard is strong for its weight because the wavy middle layer adds rigidity — great for lightweight tracks.
🎢 Loops need enough speed: if a marble is too slow at the top of a loop it will fall off instead of completing the circle.
🟢 Marbles (or marble-like toys) date back thousands of years — archaeologists have found them in ancient tombs and ruins.
🧮 Momentum is mass × velocity, so heavier or faster marbles carry more push through bumps and turns.
How do I design and build a tabletop loop track for marbles?
What materials do I need to make a marble loop track from cardboard?
What ages is a cardboard loop track activity suitable for?
What are the benefits of making and testing marble loop tracks?
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