Product Overview
Galileo’s track is made from one continuous, flexible rail 1.2 m long that joins two different angled ramps together. The first ramp of the track has a short, steep slope. The height of the second ramp is adjustable.
After a steel ball (included) rolls down the first ramp, it will then roll up a longer, gently sloping part of the track on the opposite ramp. With both sides of the track set at the same height, the questions to be asked center around how far the ball will roll up the opposite ramp when released from either of the sides. It was with such a track, that Galileo studied the motion of objects, and it led him to the concept of inertia.
This apparatus can also be used to demonstrate the principle of conservation of mechanical energy. In this demonstration, the included steel ball is released from a point on either incline. Students may intuitively feel that the ball will acquire more kinetic energy when rolled down the long slope—enough energy to roll off the end of the short slope. This is nonsense of course, since both ends of the track are at the same elevation, but sometimes this misjudgment can be nurtured to heighten the dramatic effect.
