Bobsleigh is one of the most exciting winter Olympic events. It's fast, requires incredible precision on the turns and a huge amount of power to launch. This activity uses a marble run to explore the physics of bobsleighs!
Bobsleigh athletes want to maintain as much energy as possible as they ride the track, so they try to lose as little energy to friction as they can. If the ice is soft or the blades on the bottom of the bobsleigh are rough there's more friction between ths ice and sled slowing it down.
Grab some marbles and some bits from the recycle bin and get ready to inspire the engineers ( and bobsleigh athletes ) of the future!
Bobsleigh Marble Run Challenge
You'll need
- Marbles
- Craft items - cardboard tubes, cereal boxes, craft sticks, bottles, and anything else you think might work.
- Tape
- A large sheet of cardboard to hold the track
Instructions
First, design your marble run. You probably want a slope at the beginning to give the marble some initial speed, followed by twists and turns.
As an extension task, add an extra challenge, for example, can you design a track that keeps a marble running for 60 seconds or longer?
Another idea is to add bubble wrap or velcro to the track to increase the friction between the track and the marble, slowing it down.
Try to get the marble run to move slowly, but with enough momentum to reach the end of the track.
Bobsleigh Design Ideas
- Starting gate.
- Cardboard tubes cut in half make a good track.
- Tunnels
- Steep and shallow drops
- A finish line
- Design a feature at the end of the track to slow the marble down.
How does a marble run work?
Gravity is an invisible force that pulls objects down to Earth. When a marble is at the top of a marble run, it has potential energy, when it starts to move the potential energy is converted to kinetic ( movement energy ) energy. At the top of the slope, the marble has 100% potential energy, but as it drops down, its potential energy goes down, and its kinetic energy goes up! The push start is really important in a bobsleigh race as the athletes want to add as much energy as they can at the top of the track.
Rough surfaces slow moving objects down, so if you add bubble wrap or velcro to the inside of a tube, the marble will slow down. This is friction!
Marble Run Inspiration
Just a few of our marble run creations from over the years.
More Winter Olympics Activity Ideas
Learn about the science of the luge with my luge STEM Challenge.
Make a cardboard tube bobsled with My Creative Life.
Marvel at our balancing ice skater!
Last Updated on February 17, 2026 by Emma Vanstone
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