Mexican Jumping Bean Marble Experiment

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In this Mexican jumping bean marble experiment we’ll use a marble, foil, and plastic container to help students see and understand Newtons’ Three Laws of Motion. You may also want to check out this straw rocket activity that also teaches about the Laws of Motion.

A force is a push or pull that can change an object’s motion. When you push an object, you can make it start moving, stop moving, or change direction.

Newton’s First Law states that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by a net external force. This property is called inertia.

To help your students understand this concept, gently push a pencil across your desk.

Your push is a force that makes the pencil start moving.

Once the pencil is moving, it wants to keep moving in the same direction. This tendency to resist changes in motion is called inertia.

According to Newton’s First Law, an object in motion stays in motion unless another force acts on it.

So why does the pencil stop?

It slows down and eventually stops because of friction, a force that resists motion when two surfaces rub against each other. Friction acts in the opposite direction of motion and gradually reduces the pencil’s speed until it comes to rest.

In this experiment, we will apply forces to a marble wrapped in foil (our Mexican jumping bean). Then, we’ll observe how friction and collisions change the marble’s motion. The shaking of the container is the force in this experiment.

We’ll also see Newton’s two other laws come into play in this Mexican Jumping Bean experiment:

First Law — Law of Inertia

Objects resist changes in motion. When we shake the container, it moves immediately. The marble tries to stay still at first. Once the marble starts moving, it wants to keep moving. That resistance to change is called inertia.

Second Law — Law of Acceleration

Stronger forces cause bigger changes in motion. If we shake the box gently, the marble moves a little. If we shake harder, the marble moves faster. And it hits the foil harder. More force means more motion.

Third Law – Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

When the marble hits the foil, the marble pushes on the foil. The foil pushes back on the marble. The foil moves in the opposite direction. That push-back force makes the jumping bean hop and twist.

We have created a printable to go along with this activity. Use it with elementary through high school students. There are two levels of worksheets and discussion quesitons.

Also, what is a Mexican jumping bean? Is it really a bean? Here is some information from the BBC.

Mexican Jumping Bean Marbles Instructions

Supplies you will need:

• Aluminum Foil
• Marbles
• Small container with a lid
• Marker or Pen
• Ruler
• Scissors

Directions for the Mexican Jumping Beans Marble Experiment

• Gather all the supplies needed to make jumping beans.
• Cut two pieces of aluminum foil (3” x 2 ½“each)
• Wrap a piece of foil around the marker.
• Fold the bottom of the foil to close it.
• Add a marble. Fold the top to enclose the marble.
• Place the foil pack into a small container with a lid.
• Shake the container for 20-30 seconds
• Open the lid and observe. Close it up. Shake it faster. Open and observe again. Place it on the table.
• Repeat steps 3-7 to make additional jumping beans. Place 2 or more in the container and shake. What happens?

What’s Happening in the Mexican Jumping Bean Experiment

We have two explanations here you can use with your student(s). We’ll list the simple explanation, followed by a more detailed one.

All of this is in our free printable packed which you can request below.

Simple explanation: When you push a pencil across your desk, your push makes it move. Once the pencil starts moving, it wants to keep moving. That is called inertia. But the pencil slows down and stops because of friction, which is a force that rubs against it and slows it down.

In the marble experiment, something similar happens. When you shake the container, the container moves suddenly. The marble inside tries to stay still at first because of inertia. When it finally starts moving, it keeps moving and bumps into the foil. Each bump pushes on the foil, making the jumping bean wiggle and hop.

Friction is the rubbing force that slows things down. In our experiment, friction happens between the marble and the foil and between the foil and the table. It helps control how the jumping bean moves and when it stops.

More advanced explanation:

Remember our example of pushing a pencil across a desk?

When you push the pencil:

• Your push is a force.
• The pencil starts moving.
• Because of inertia, it wants to keep moving.
• Friction slows it down and eventually stops it.

Now, let’s look at the marble inside the foil.

What Happens with the Marble?

When you shake the container:

• You apply a force.
• The container moves suddenly.
• The marble, because of inertia, resists that sudden change in motion.

At first, the marble tries to remain at rest even as the container moves. That’s inertia in action.

Once the shaking force becomes strong enough:

• Static friction is overcome.
• The marble begins to slide.
• Now the marble wants to keep moving in a straight line (again, inertia).

But inside the foil, it keeps hitting the walls.

Each collision:

• Changes its direction.
• Transfers force to the foil.
• Makes the foil jump or twist.

When you push the pencil, inertia keeps it moving in the direction of the push, and friction gradually slows it down until it stops. In the marble experiment, inertia first causes the marble to resist moving when the container suddenly accelerates.

Once the marble begins sliding, inertia keeps it moving, but collisions with the foil and friction inside the shell continually change its speed and direction.

Get the Mexican Jumping Bean Marble Experiment Worksheets

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