Looby Cubes

Slippery Situation

Skills

Use observation skills to explore how lubrication effects things.

To work together as a team to accomplish your goals.

To correlate data and utilize it to help make decisions.

Materials

(per group)

unflavored gelatin (5 envelopes)

8 inch square baking pan

knife

mixing bowl

water

liquid dish detergent (1/4 cup)

vegetable oil (1/4 cup)

8 bowls or plastic containers

watch with a second hand

paper towels

Doing the Activity

To Prepare for the Activity

In a mixing bowl, dissolve the 5 envelopes of gelatin in 2 1/2 cups of hot water.

Coat the inside of the pan with vegetable oil. Pour the gelatin mixture into the pan and put it in the refrigerator until firm (about 3 to 4 hours).

Use a knife to cut the gelatin into cubes about 1 x 1 x 1 inch. You should have about 64 cubes.

Place 15 gelatin cubes in each of 4 bowls or containers.

Set up four workstations. Each station needs to have one bowl with 15 gelatin cubes and one empty bowl that are approximately 15 cm from each other. Station one will have plain gelatin cubes. For stations two-four you will need to add 1/4 cup of the lubricant - oil, water OR soap - to the cubes in the bowl and gently toss until the cubes are coated.

Have paper towels at each station for hand cleaning after the activity is completed.

You may want to label the stations as to the type of lubricant used.

Safety Considerations
Gelatin cubes are not to be eaten.

Do a periodic floor check to watch for any spills.

Select a partner and go to one of the looby cube stations.

One partner should be ready to time for 15 seconds.

The other partner is to pick up and move as many looby cubes as possible from one bowl to the other in 15 seconds.

Have your partner say "go," start picking up the gelatin cubes one at a time with your thumb and index finger (don't squeeze!). See how many cubes you can transfer to the other bowl in 15 seconds.

Return all the looby cubes to the original bowl.

Let your partner try and see how many cubes they can move in 15 seconds.

Try out all the different looby cube stations using the same method. Rinse and dry your hands between stations.

Important: DO NOT EAT the gelatin cubes after they have been handled or covered with lubricant!

Talking it over

With which liquid were you able to transfer the most cubes?

With which liquid were you able to transfer the fewest cubes?

Which was the best lubricant (the slipperiest)? Which was the worst?

What's Happening

If you oil the hinges of a door, it will stop squeaking. Rub petroleum jelly on lips to prevent them from becoming chapped. These slippery substances are called lubricants. They are very important in modern technology. Cars, truck, airplanes, and machines all have parts that rub against each other. These parts would heat up, wear down, and stop working if we didn't have lubricants. Lubricants reduce the amount of friction between 2 surfaces that move against each other.

More Challenges

Test other objects such as beans, marbles, or seeds to see how they act when lubricated.

Think of other kinds of lubricants to test. Do all lubricants need to be liquids?

Activity Source

Helping Your Child Learn Science U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Government Printing Office Order Desk (202) 512-1800. The GPO Stock Number is 065-000-00520-4.

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
University Extension

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	Slippery Situation
	Skills Use observation skills to explore how lubrication effects things. To work together as a team to accomplish your goals. To correlate data and utilize it to help make decisions.
	Materials (per group) unflavored gelatin (5 envelopes) 8 inch square baking pan knife mixing bowl water liquid dish detergent (1/4 cup) vegetable oil (1/4 cup) 8 bowls or plastic containers watch with a second hand paper towels
	Doing the Activity To Prepare for the Activity In a mixing bowl, dissolve the 5 envelopes of gelatin in 2 1/2 cups of hot water. Coat the inside of the pan with vegetable oil. Pour the gelatin mixture into the pan and put it in the refrigerator until firm (about 3 to 4 hours). Use a knife to cut the gelatin into cubes about 1 x 1 x 1 inch. You should have about 64 cubes. Place 15 gelatin cubes in each of 4 bowls or containers. Set up four workstations. Each station needs to have one bowl with 15 gelatin cubes and one empty bowl that are approximately 15 cm from each other. Station one will have plain gelatin cubes. For stations two-four you will need to add 1/4 cup of the lubricant - oil, water OR soap - to the cubes in the bowl and gently toss until the cubes are coated. Have paper towels at each station for hand cleaning after the activity is completed. You may want to label the stations as to the type of lubricant used. Safety Considerations Gelatin cubes are not to be eaten. Do a periodic floor check to watch for any spills.
	Select a partner and go to one of the looby cube stations. One partner should be ready to time for 15 seconds. The other partner is to pick up and move as many looby cubes as possible from one bowl to the other in 15 seconds. Have your partner say "go," start picking up the gelatin cubes one at a time with your thumb and index finger (don't squeeze!). See how many cubes you can transfer to the other bowl in 15 seconds. Return all the looby cubes to the original bowl. Let your partner try and see how many cubes they can move in 15 seconds. Try out all the different looby cube stations using the same method. Rinse and dry your hands between stations. *Important: DO NOT EAT the gelatin cubes after they have been handled or covered with lubricant!*
	Talking it over With which liquid were you able to transfer the most cubes? With which liquid were you able to transfer the fewest cubes? Which was the best lubricant (the slipperiest)? Which was the worst?
	What's Happening If you oil the hinges of a door, it will stop squeaking. Rub petroleum jelly on lips to prevent them from becoming chapped. These slippery substances are called lubricants. They are very important in modern technology. Cars, truck, airplanes, and machines all have parts that rub against each other. These parts would heat up, wear down, and stop working if we didn't have lubricants. Lubricants reduce the amount of friction between 2 surfaces that move against each other.
	More Challenges Test other objects such as beans, marbles, or seeds to see how they act when lubricated. Think of other kinds of lubricants to test. Do all lubricants need to be liquids?
	Activity Source Helping Your Child Learn Science U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Government Printing Office Order Desk (202) 512-1800. The GPO Stock Number is 065-000-00520-4.