You will need:

•  half of a brick (or something equally heavy)
•  a selection of rubber bands
•  about a metre of string
•  a wooden board at least 30cm long
•  a stack of books
•  2 paper clips
•  scissors
•  a ruler
•  a partner
  

Tie some string around the brick so that you can lift it safely, using the rubber band and paper clips, as shown in the diagram.

Now, try to lift the brick from your desk to the stack of books using your band and clips.

As you lift, get your partner to measure the length of the rubber band with the ruler.
Record that measurement here.
 
 
 

Now try a different way of moving the brick.

Use your board to make a ramp from the desk to the top of the stack of books.
Pull the brick up along the ramp.
Get your partner to measure the length of the rubber band as you pull.
Record that measurement here.
 
 
 

Can you remember what you learned in ‘making movement easier 1’ ?
The harder it is to move the object, the ________________ the rubber band will be.

The easier it is to move the object, the ________________ the rubber band will be.

Which is easier, lifting the brick straight off the desk or pulling it up along the ramp?
How do you know?
Does this surprise you?
 
 
 

With your partner, try to predict how making the following changes to your ramp would affect the way it works.
Then, design fair tests to investigate your ideas.
 

what we will change	our prediction
the length of the ramp
the surface of the ramp