Alpha Science Classroom: Tell Children How Landslides Are Caused

Have kids ever seen a video of a landslide? Landslides are powerful geological events that occur suddenly and wreak havoc on unstable hills, slopes, and cliffside areas. Globally, landslides cause enormous damage to buildings and property every year, in addition to changing the surrounding habitat. Today, alpha science classroom children's physical science experiments activities use simple materials to make models of landslides and investigate how friction and the angle of a hill affect potential landslides. Use the kid's science experiment activity to unlock the power of nature for children and learn how to protect our living environment.

Alpha Science Classroom: Tell Children How Landslides Are Caused，Materials

• Clear tape

• Eight pennies

• Hard clipboard

• Paper towel

• Ruler (optional)

Alpha Science Classroom: Tell Children How Landslides Are Caused, steps to make

Step 1: First, children take a piece of tape that is slightly longer than the length of the four pennies lined up side by side (about three and a half inches long) and place two pennies on the tape so that the two pennies are touching side by side.

Set one penny on each of the two pennies on the tape so that you have two piles of pennies, two pennies each. Then wrap the tape completely around the pennies lengthwise to keep them in place, still stacked side by side. The tape should overlap slightly at the top.

Step 2: Repeat this with the children for the other four pennies so that you have made two stacks of these pennies.

Cut a strip of tissue paper that is slightly longer than the length of one of the penny stocks and the same width as the pennies. (In other words, the strip of tissue paper should be about two to two and a half inches long and about an inch wide.)

Take one of the stacks of tape and make sure the rough, exposed edge of the tape is at the top (the smooth side is at the bottom). Then, using two small pieces of tape, tape the paper towel strip lengthwise to the stack of pennies so that both edges of the strip are bent to the top and taped there. Do not put any tape on the bottom, only cover it completely with the tissue strip.

Step 3: Children place the clipboard on a flat surface. Clip the tissue paper to the clipboard. (If you cut a strip of paper from the paper for penny wrapping, place that space at the bottom of the clipboard.)

Stack the two pennies you made on the clipboard so that they both touch the clip at the top. They should touch the clips lengthwise, but not each other.

Step 4: Children make sure to place the two stacks so that their rough tape edges are facing up and the smooth tape side of the tissue strip or paper stack is facing down, touching the clipboard. How does the bottom of each stack feel compared to each other? Is one much smoother than the other?

Grasp the clipboard clip and slowly but steadily lift the end of the clipboard. (Make sure the opposite side stays down and touches the flat surface.) As the angle increases, which stack of pennies slides down the clipboard first? Once one of the stacks of pennies starts to slide down, stop tilting the clipboard.

Step 5: The children repeat this process at least 9 times for a total of 10 trials. Be sure to start each time by placing the clipboard flat on a flat surface and with the two stacks of pennies side by side next to the clip. Also, make sure to lift the clipboard slowly each time. For each trial, which stack of coins slid off the clipboard first? Are your results fairly consistent?

If a stack of pennies usually slides off the clipboard first, why do you think this happens? Why do you think the angle of repose (the angle at which the object slides down the slope) might be different for the two different stacks of pennies? What do you think your results might have to do with friction?

Alpha Science Classroom: Tell Children How Landslides Are Caused, Science Principles

When you slowly lift the clipboard and increase the angle of the ramp, does the stack of pennies coated with only the tape usually start to slide down first?

In most cases, the stack of pennies coated only with tape (not tissue strips) should start sliding down the clipboard before the other stack of pennies when the clipboard is lifted. For example, in 10 trials, the stack of coins with only tape may start sliding in all trials than the stack of coins wrapped in tissue paper. The resistance to downward motion on a slope is called friction, and it depends on the component of gravity perpendicular to the slope as well as the surface of the object and the slope itself. Since the friction between the two tissue-coated surfaces is greater than that between the tissue-coated and taped surfaces, the penny stock with the tissue strips has greater friction, or resistance to motion, when going down the slope. This greater friction should cause the penny pile coated with tissue paper to have a greater angle of inclination compared to the tape-only pile.

The main cause of landslides is soil erosion. Through this physical science experiment for children, Alpha science classroom hopes to unlock the scientific principles for children, and at the same time, hope that children understand the danger of landslides and cultivate their awareness of environmental protection. Through this kid's science experiment, the children will be able to unlock the magic of nature.

alpha science toys prepared physical science experiment kits for children, using various magical scientific phenomena to give children a treasure of knowledge and become the smartest scientists.