Get the fun rolling with the STEAM Accredited Marble Rush Tip & Swirl Set for ages 4 and up.
Get the fun rolling with the STEAM Accredited Marble Rush Tip & Swirl Set for ages 4 and up.

Marble Rush® Tip & Swirl Set™ Gravity Challenge

This Marble Rush® challenge explores how mass, force, and gravity work together when marbles encounter the Green Flip and Tilt Barrels on the track. Force is a word to describe the push or pull on an object, like a marble. One type of force is gravity. On Earth, gravity pulls everything down. It is what makes things fall to the floor. Gravity pulls strongly on objects that have more mass. When an object feels light, it is because gravity pulls down weakly. When an object feels heavy, it is because gravity pulls it strongly.
Marble Rush Tip & Swirl Set

Marble Rush® Golden Rules

  • Gravity pulls things down.

    Rule #1: Gravity

    Gravity pulls things down.
  • Slope affects speed.

    Rule #2: Slope

    Slope affects speed.
  • Random is unpredictable.

    Rule #3: Random

    Random is unpredictable.
  • Force is a push or a pull.

    Rule #4: Force

    Force is a push or a pull.
  • Friction is everywhere.

    Rule #5: Friction

    Friction is everywhere.

Learn About Gravity

Marble Rush® relies on forces, like gravity, to make the marbles move. If you observe the marble as it rolls through the track, you can see gravity at work, especially on the downward sloped pieces.
See Gravity in Action

See Gravity in Action

Real World Connection

Mass, force, and gravity impact our lives every day, even if you don’t notice it! One place you can observe mass, force, and gravity very clearly is on a playground seesaw or teeter-totter. If you sit on a seesaw by yourself, you would be sitting very close to the ground, with the other end of the beam high in the air. This is because the force of gravity acts on your body mass and pulls you down (see Illustration 1). Now imagine a friend who is bigger than you sits on the other end of the seesaw; you would find yourself with your feet dangling in the air. This is because the larger the mass, the stronger the gravitational pull (see Illustration 2).
Illustration 1: Kid on seesaw moves down while empty seat moves up. Illustration 2: Heavier kid moves down while lighter kid moves up.

Hands-On Challenge: Gravity, Mass, and Force

What’s Needed:

  • Marble Rush® Tip & Swirl Set™
  • 5 marbles
  • Tape
  • Coins (variety of sizes)
  • Orange, red and blue marbles are dropped one at a time into the Yellow Barrel. Marbles roll down and fill the Green Fill & Tip Barrel until it flips up and marbles drop again. Orange, red and blue marbles are dropped one at a time into the Yellow Barrel. Marbles roll down and fill the Green Fill & Tip Barrel until it flips up and marbles drop again.

    Let's see how much mass, or how many marbles, it takes to tip the Green Flip and Tilt Barrel. First, complete the Level 1 Build as illustrated. Then, start by dropping one marble down the barrel. Keep adding one marble at a time until the barrel tips over. Make note of how many marbles it takes for the barrel to tip over.

  • Same set up from illustration 1. Same marbles are dropped, this time the Green Flip & Tilt Barrel has a coin taped to the back side of it. Inset shows a close up of the coin and back side of barrel. Same set up from illustration 1. Same marbles are dropped, this time the Green Flip & Tilt Barrel has a coin taped to the back side of it. Inset shows a close up of the coin and back side of barrel.

    Take a coin and tape it flat to the backside of the barrel as shown. Use your finger to tip the barrel and release it. Do the same to the other barrel without the coin taped to it. What difference do you notice between the two barrels when they are tipped? Based on the difference you observe, predict whether you will need more, fewer, or the same number of marbles to make the barrel tip.

  • Same set up from illustration 2 with coin attached to the back of the Green Barrel. Kid places one marble at a time into Yellow Barrel. Marble rolls into Green Barrel. Kid tries to guess how many marbles it takes to flip the Green Fill & Tip Barrel. Same set up from illustration 2 with coin attached to the back of the Green Barrel. Kid places one marble at a time into Yellow Barrel. Marble rolls into Green Barrel. Kid tries to guess how many marbles it takes to flip the Green Fill & Tip Barrel.

    Test your theory about the number of marbles needed and drop one at a time into the barrel until it tips. Try it out with coins of different sizes, or multiples of the same coin. Think about how the mass of the coin changes how many marbles are needed to tip the barrel.

Exploring Mass and Gravity

Let’s explore how objects with different masses interact with the Green Flip and Tip Barrels.

Additional Materials Needed:

  • Marble-sized objects like glass marbles, pom poms, beads, small pebbles, small erasers, buttons, plastic building-blocks, individually wrapped candy (e.g. mints, hard candy), and coins
  • Aluminum foil, plastic wrap, paper, modeling clay and/or other materials that can make balls of similar size to a marble
  • Download and print a copy of the Exploration Charts 1 & 2
  • Something to write with
Exploration Charts 1 & 2.

Exploration 1:

Remove the Yellow Ramp (T-14) and the tower of blocks from the Level 1 build as shown. Gather your marble-sized objects. Place one of the objects into wide-mouth end of the barrel as shown.

Using Exploration Chart 1, write down the name of the object and record if the object was able to tip over the barrel.


  • Why do you think some objects are able to tip the barrel while others are not?
One large paper ball placed in Green Flip & Tilt Barrel. Will this trigger barrel to flip?

Exploration 2:

In Exploration 1, we tested different objects to see if their mass could tip over the barrel. Now, take multiples of each object that were not able to tip over the barrel. For example, if you used a bead in Exploration 1, gather a few more for this round. Place the object into the wide-mouth end of the barrel. Keep adding more until the barrel tips or there is no more space left.

Using Exploration Chart 2, write down the name of the object, how many of each object was used and if it was able to tip over the barrel. Based on the information from your chart:


  • Which objects are heavier than others?
  • Which object is the heaviest?
Two large foil balls placed in Green Flip & Tilt Barrel. Will this trigger barrel to flip?

Marble Rush® Tip & Swirl Set™ Build Options

The easy-to-follow build guide has different build options for multiple levels from beginner to intermediate.

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