Students in Ms. Binal Shah’s STEM classes applied recent lessons in physics and engineering to design ball run challenges in class.

 In the project, the students used only paper and tape to create a ball run for a ping pong ball. “Their goal was to make the slowest ball run possible.”

Students had to think creatively to find obstacles to slow the ball downs on their journey down the run as well as decrease the steepness of the run, Ms. Shah said. “They also added a whirlpool or conical structure to lengthen the run time.”

The assignment required the students to use specific criteria in designing the run, review different designs and determine which one would perform better based on the criteria they were provided. They also had to build the ball runs and test them again and again to make sure that they worked and slowed the balls down on their descent. In addition, they had to make improvements to slow the balls down even further on their descent. Then they shared their ball runs with the class.

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