Thames & Kosmos Gumball Machine Maker Manual

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Safety Information

Not suitable for children under 3 years. Choking hazard — small parts may be swallowed or inhaled. Strangulation hazard — long cords may become wrapped around the neck.

• Keep the packaging and instructions, as they contain important information.
• Store the experiment material and assembled models out of the reach of small children.
• Clean the plastic parts before first use and regularly in lukewarm water. Do not clean in hot water. Dry thoroughly before use.
• Refer to the packaging for the nutritional information and the ingredients list for the gumballs.

CHOKING HAZARD — Small parts. Toy contains a small ball. Not for children under 3 yrs.

Dear Parents and Adult Supervisors,
Physics is an exciting and expansive science that is not hard to understand, especially when you use fun models to demonstrate physics principles in action. It can be a lot of fun to figure out the astonishing physical phenomena that we encounter every day and to put this understanding to use — in a gumball machine, no less!

This experiment kit and the working models you can build with it introduce your child to physics concepts including forces, interactions, motion, and mechanical advantage. With its hands-on models, your child will gain basic insights into the world of physics principles — which will help him or her to understand and engage more deeply in the lessons taught in school.

The gumball machine is assembled step by step using reconfigurable parts. It will require a little practice and patience to put it together and to get the gumball to go exactly where you want it to go. Your child will be particularly happy to have your help with the parts that he or she finds more difficult.

We wish you and your child lots of fun experimenting, discovering, and learning!

KIT CONTENTS

Good to know!
If you are missing any parts, please contact Thames & Kosmos customer service.

What's inside your experiment kit:

Checklist: Find – Inspect – Check off

	No.	Description	Qty.
	1	Vertical tower support A	1
	2	Vertical tower support B	1
	3	Globe top	1
	4	Globe bottom	1
	5	Tip-over tube	1
	6	Globe base with dispenser	1
	7	Base	1
	8	Leg	4
	9	Globe funnel	1
	10	Pulley cup	2
	11	Pivot post, angled	2
	12	Pivot post, straight	3
	13	Tip-over tube clamp	1
	14	Trampoline ring	1
	15	Pulley wheel	1
	16	Variable-slope track holder	1
	17	Collection cup	1
	18	Domino piece, beaker	2
	19	Domino piece, erlenmeyer flask	2
	20	Domino piece, florence flask	2
	21	Pendulum	1
	22	180-degree smooth track	1
	23	Momentum trap track	1
	24	Variable-slope track	1
	25	Friction track	1
	26	Centripetal force funnel	1
	27	Pinball launcher	1
	28	Domino track	1
	29	Domino track post	1
	30	Rubber bands for trampoline*	12
	31	Piece of string for pulley cups*	1
	32	Gumballs*	5.3 oz.

*Colors may vary.

Replacement gumballs: The gumball machine uses standard small machine-sized gumballs, which are 16 mm or 5/8 in (0.62 in) in diameter.

TOWER ASSEMBLY

First, assemble the gumball machine tower. All of the setups use this tower.

HERE'S HOW

1. Attach the four legs to the base. Slide them down until they snap into place.
   
2. Slide the two vertical tower supports together all the way.
   
3. Insert the tower into the base. The tabs on the tower go into the holes in the base.
   
4. Slide the globe base with dispenser and knob onto the top of the tower.
   

5. Put the bottom and top halves of the globe onto the globe base. Press them in securely.
   
6. Attach the globe funnel to the top of the globe.
   
7. Examine the tower assembly. The gumballs are dispensed from the globe at the top and gravity pulls them down the tracks, which spiral around the tower.
   
   The globe can be rotated around on the top of the tower so that the knob and dispenser can be positioned above any of the four sides.
   There are circular pegs on each of the four sides of the tower. In the assembly instructions, the pegs are referred to from the top down. For example, this symbol means the second peg from the top: . To attach tracks and other parts to the tower, first put the peg through the round part of the hole in the track piece, then slide the track piece down to lock it in place in the narrower part of the hole.
   The globe funnel allows you to return gumballs to the globe after an experiment.
   The next four pages teach you about how each track and stunt work, and the physics behind each one. Or proceed to the assembly steps for the first setup.

PHYSICS EXPLANATIONS

Gumball Physics
Here is an overview of the tracks and stunts included in this kit. All of these parts attach to the pegs on the sides of the tower, and each one can be used to demonstrate physics principles.

1. The 180-degree smooth track is the simplest track segment. A gumball rolls from the top to the bottom, 180 degrees around the tower. This simple motion demonstrates many things. The gumball has mass. Mass is the quantity of matter in an object or a body, which is a physics term for a physical thing. Matter is any physical substance that occupies space. Mass can also be thought of as the ability of a body to be heavy. Mass should not be confused with weight though. Weight is a measure of the force that gravity exerts on mass. A force is the cause of a change in a body's state of movement. A force can be thought of as a push or a pull on an object. A push of the gumball causing it to roll across the table is a force. Gravity is also a force. It is Earth's force of attraction on mass. Gravity is a fascinating thing: All mass attracts each other. The larger the mass, the greater its force of attraction. Earth has a huge mass: 5.9 trillion trillion kilograms, or 13 billion trillion tons! The gumball has a very small mass: about two grams. Therefore, Earth pulls the gumball toward it. This is the force of gravity! A gumball rolls down the track because gravity is pulling it. On Earth, the gravity at the surface is a downward force that causes an acceleration equal to about 9.8 meters per second per second (m/s/s or m/ s 2 ). To understand acceleration, we have to understand speed. Speed is the distance traveled by a body in a certain amount of time. Velocity is a physics term for speed that also takes into account the direction of motion. If a gumball travels five inches in one second, its speed is five inches per second, or 5 in/s — which is equal to about a quarter of a mile per hour. Acceleration is the measure of the change in speed (or more accurately, velocity) over a certain amount of time. So, what is gravity again? Earth's gravity causes a body to accelerate to a speed of 9.8 meters per second for every second that gravity acts on the body — regardless of the mass of the body. If you drop a gumball and it falls for three seconds, by the end of its fall, it is moving at a speed of 29.4 meters per second (9.8 m/s 2 x 3 s = 29.4 m/s). As the gumball rolls down the track, gravity accelerates it and it moves faster, unless it encounters obstacles. Amazing! This one simple segment of track has allowed us to define all these physics terms.
   

2. The momentum trap track demonstrates a few more important physics principles. The momentum trap looks like the 180-degree straight track, but with one important difference. It has a little "speed bump" in the middle of it. If you place a gumball on this speed bump (or even in the little trough in front of the bump) and release another gumball to roll down from the top of the track, the rolling gumball will collide with the stationary gumball. The stationary gumball will then be knocked into motion and continue down the track, while the previously moving gumball will now be stuck in the trough. To understand what happened here in terms of physics, you have to understand momentum and inertia. Inertia is the tendency of a body to remain at rest or in motion. It can also be thought of as the amount of resistance to a change in velocity. The more mass a body has, the more inertia it has. Since both gumballs have the same mass, they have the same inertia. Momentum is the combined effect of the mass and velocity of a body. All moving bodies have momentum. A fundamental rule of physics says that momentum is always conserved when two bodies collide. When the gumballs collide, the momentum from the moving gumball is transferred to the stationary gumball, causing the latter to move. The first gumball loses its momentum and slows down. This describes a perfect elastic collision. If the bodies were to deform, or change shape, on impact, the result would be different. This is an inelastic collision. The momentum trap can also be used to show how a gumball must have a certain amount of momentum if it is to make it over the hill. If it has too little momentum, it will get stuck in the trap.
   
3. The variable-slope track helps you perform experiments on the force of gravity. The track can be set at different slopes, or degrees of steepness. You connect it to the tower with a straight pivot post and the variable-slope track holder. The holder can be attached to the tower with its arm up or down, allowing you to position the variable-slope track at two different angles. At its less-steep setting, gumballs will roll down it slower than at its more-steep setting. This is because the slope prevents the full force of gravity from pulling the gumball down the track. The steeper the track, the more gravity can pull the gumball along the direction of the track. The flatter the track, the more gravity will try to pull the gumball into the track itself, where it cannot go. This variable-slope track is a simple machine called an inclined plane. Every track and stunt also enables us to investigate work and energy. Work is force exerted over a distance. When you move a gumball from the bottom of the tower up to the top with your hand, you perform work. Moving a body requires work. Energy is the capacity of a body to do work. Energy is required to move a body over a distance. Energy comes in many different forms, and it can be converted from one form to another. This gumball machine demonstrates two types of energy: potential energy and kinetic energy. Potential energy is stored energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. The gumballs at the top of the machine have potential energy. When a gumball starts rolling down the track, its potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. At the bottom of the track, it has less potential energy than at the top. You must put energy back into it with your hand by raising it back up to the top.
   
4. The friction track has raised bumps on it. These cause the gumball to slow down as it travels down the track. They increase the friction between the track and the gumball. Friction is the force resisting the motion of objects sliding past each other. As the gumball rolls down the track, it is releasing its potential energy as always. It makes more noise than on a smooth track. The increased friction is causing energy to be lost to heat and sound. There is less energy to convert into kinetic energy, so the gumball moves slower.
   
5. The centripetal force funnel demonstrates rotational inertia, or moment of inertia, and centripetal force. When a gumball enters the funnel, the shape of the funnel causes the gumball to curve around in a circular motion. As the gumball slows down, it circles closer and closer to the center, and then falls into the hole.
   Centripetal force is the reason the gumball doesn't just roll straight into the hole. Centripetal force is a force that makes a body follow a curved path. Like inertia, the rotational inertia of the gumball describes its tendency to remain in motion and resist slowing down. But because friction and gravity work to overcome its inertia, the gumball slowly gets closer to the hole in the center.
   
6. The domino track offers another lesson in transfer of momentum. To set up the domino track, insert the six dominos and the domino track post, and place a gumball on the post. A gumball drops into the top of the domino track and knocks down the first domino. A chain of collisions follows, in which each domino knocks down the next. The final domino falls over and collides with the gumball positioned on the post, which falls out of the track. The momentum is transferred from the gumballs through the dominos.
   
7. You can also use the domino track without the dominos and post as a simple 90-degree smooth track.
   
8. The pendulum stunt is attached to the tower using the angled pivot post. When a gumball enters the cup at the top of the pendulum, it causes the pendulum to turn on its axis and the gumball is passed to a lower track. A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot that can swing freely. It demonstrates center of mass and stable equilibrium. Center of mass is a point on a body representing the mean (or middle) position of the mass of the body — mass on all sides of this point balances out. When the pendulum is stationary, it is said to be in stable equilibrium. Equilibrium is the state of a body at rest or in unaccelerated motion in which the result of all forces acting on it is zero. A body is in stable equilibrium if its center of mass is located vertically above its base of support. If its center of mass lies vertically above its tipping line (the edge of the base), then it will wobble or fall over. The slightest movement will make it tip over. But its stability also depends on the force needed to push it off balance. The pendulum has been specifically designed with a counterweight at the bottom that offers just enough inertia to keep the pendulum stable until the gumball enters the cup and knocks it out of stable equilibrium.
   
9. The trampoline is a window into two more huge realms of physics: springs and projectiles. To set up the trampoline, you must stretch the rubber bands around the trampoline ring. The notches in the ring keep the rubber bands from slipping off. Try to evenly space the rubber bands around the surface of the ring. The trampoline ring attaches to the tower with a straight pivot post. Position the trampoline at an angle such that when a gumball falls on it, the gumball bounces into the next track segment. The rubber bands in the trampoline work like a spring. When a moving body stretches or compresses a spring, it converts its kinetic energy into potential energy stored in the spring. Then, the spring bounces back and pushes back on the body. The amount of force exerted on a spring is proportional to the amount, or distance, that the spring stretches or compresses. The more momentum a gumball has when it hits the trampoline, the more the rubber bands will stretch.
   
   Rubber band color may vary.

The more the rubber bands stretch, the more force they will have to push back on the gumball. When the trampoline bounces the gumball into the air, the gumball becomes a projectile. A projectile is a body upon which only the force of gravity is acting. The path that projectiles take as they move through the air can be predicted based on the speed, angle, and height at which it was launched.

10. The pinball launcher is similar to the trampoline in that it demonstrates the principles of springs and projectiles. When a gumball lands in the pinball launcher, you can manually pull back on the trigger and release to launch the gumball back up and out of the track and down to another section of track. In the pinball launcher, there is a metal spring. When you pull the trigger back, the spring compresses and stores energy. When you release the trigger, the stored energy is released and converts into kinetic energy, which is transferred to the gumball, pushing it along the track. The gumball is a projectile that glides along the track, like a ball inside a pinball machine.
    
11. The pulley cups and wheel demonstrate a simple machine called a pulley. To set it up, first attach the wheel to the tower with a straight pivot post. Then tie the two ends of the string to the two handles on the cups. Follow the instructions on the next pages for the specific lengths of string you want for each setup. Then, guide the string over the pulley wheel and position one of the cups so that a track will deposit a gumball into it. The pulley demonstrates how a downward force (the weight of a gumball) applied to one side is transformed into an upward force of the cup on the other side. Pulleys can change the direction of a force, and also the amount of force needed, to perform work. If you place two gumballs in the second pulley cup, you probably will need two or more gumballs to fall in the first pulley cup before it exerts enough weight to lift up the second.
    
12. Finally, there is the tip-over tube. Like the pendulum, this demonstrates center of mass and stable equilibrium. Attach the tip-over tube to the tower with the angled pivot post and the tip-over tube clamp. The tip-over tube should be positioned high up in the clamp. More of the tube should be above the clamp than below the clamp. When gumballs fall into the tube, they will stay in the tube until the center of mass extends outside of the stable equilibrium point and the tube tips over, dumping the gumballs into the track below. Now that you know how all the various tracks and stunts work, follow the step-by-step assembly instructions on the following pages to set up three different gumball machines and use the parts together.
    

SETUP 1

Follow these steps to build the first configuration of the gumball machine. Beforehand, assemble the tower according to the steps Refer to the descriptions of the tracks and stunts for important background information.

HERE'S HOW

1. With the rubber bands wrapped around the trampoline ring, and the trampoline attached to the straight pivot post (as described), attach the trampoline with the pivot post to the tower. Attach it to the side of the tower under the dispenser knob, on the second and third pegs from the top; that is, pegs and .
   
2. Rotate the model 180 degrees so the knob is facing backward. Attach the pendulum with the angled pivot post to pegs and on the side of the tower opposite the knob.
   
3. Rotate the model 180 degrees so the knob is facing forward again. Attach the centripetal force funnel to peg on the side of the tower under the knob, and peg on the side to the left of that, as shown.
   
4. Rotate the model 90 degrees clockwise. Attach the variable-slope track holder to peg on the side of the tower under the knob. Attach the variable-slope track with the straight pivot post to pegs and on the side to the right of that, as shown. Attach the variable-slope track to its holder by putting the peg on the holder into the hole in the track.
   
5. Rotate the model 90 degrees clockwise again. Attach the momentum trap track to pegs , , and on the three sides of the tower shown in the image.
   
6. Rotate the model 90 degrees clockwise again. Attach the pulley wheel with the straight pivot post to pegs and on the side of the tower to the left of the knob, as shown.
   

Tie one end of the string to the arm of one pulley cup. With a ruler, measure five inches on the string starting at the point where you tied the string to the first pulley cup. Tie the other end of the string to the arm of the second cup. Now, there should be five inches of string between the two cups. Hang the string from the wheel and position the left pulley cup at the bottom of the momentum trap track.

7. Adjust all the tracks and stunts so that, in your best estimation, a gumball will travel all the way from the dispenser down to the pulley cup. Place a gumball in the momentum trap and in the pulley cup on the right. The assembly is finished!
   

Now it's time to test the setup!

8. It's a good idea to put the gumball machine on a tray, in the lid of a box, or on a piece of fabric like a tablecloth when you are experimenting with it. The reason for this is that it is normal for gumballs to fall off the track or for a stunt to miss its target some of the time. You must carefully adjust the model to get the gumball to travel from the top to the bottom without falling off course. The tray, box lid, or tablecloth will help keep the gumballs from rolling all over the place when they fall out of the machine.
9. Turn the knob clockwise to dispense one gumball. What happens?
10. Segment by segment, make adjustments to the model until the gumball makes it all the way to the cup at the end.
11. Rotate the globe and dispenser to the other side and try the second course.
12. Return the gumball to the globe each time by taking the pulley cup and dumping it into the globe funnel.

WHAT'S HAPPENING ?
On the first side, the gumball drops out of the dispenser and onto the trampoline. It bounces into the centripetal force funnel, where it spirals around. It falls through the hole and into the variable-slope track. It rolls down and into the momentum trap. If a gumball is already in the momentum trap, the first gumball will knock the gumball that is already there down the track and into the pulley cup. Depending on how many gumballs are in each pulley cup, the pulley cup may move down or it may not. On the second side, the difference is that the gumball starts in the pendulum before it moves into the centripetal force funnel. Refer to the physics explanations.

SETUP 2

Now that you have built the first setup, try this setup. It is a little more challenging.

HERE'S HOW

1. Attach the momentum trap track to the tower. Attach its left side to peg on the side of the tower under the knob. Attach the middle to peg on the next side of the tower to the right, and its right side to peg on the side of the tower opposite the knob.
   
2. Rotate the model 180 degrees so the knob is facing backward. Attach the 180-degree straight track to pegs , , and on the side of the tower opposite the momentum trap track.
   
3. Attach the pinball launcher to pegs and on the sides under the 180-degree straight track, as shown.
   
4. Rotate the model 180 degrees. Attach the domino track to the tower. Attach its left side to peg on the side of the tower under the knob. Attach its right side to peg on the side of the tower to the right of the knob.
   
   1. Insert the six dominos and the domino track post into the domino track. The flat side of each domino should be facing the higher end of the domino track.
      
   2. Make sure all the dominos are standing straight up. They will probably fall over during assembly. Set them back up again before each gumball run.
      
5. Rotate the model 90 degrees. Attach the centripetal force funnel to the tower. Attach its left side to peg and its right side to peg as shown.
   
6. Attach the tip-over tube with the angled pivot post to pegs and as shown. Make sure the tip-over tube is held high up in the clamp, so that a gumball coming out of the funnel will fall into the tube.
   

7. Hang the collection cup on the edge of the base, under the tip-over tube.
   
8. Adjust all the tracks and stunts so that, in your best estimation, a gumball will travel all the way from the dispenser down to the collection cup. Place a gumball in the momentum trap and on the post in the domino track. The assembly is finished!
   

Now it's time to test the setup!

9. Follow steps 8 through 11 like you did for the first setup.
10. When the gumball falls into the pinball track, you have to launch it back out by pulling the trigger back and releasing it. After a run, return the gumball to the globe each time by taking the collection cup and dumping it into the globe funnel.

WHAT'S HAPPENING ?
On the first side, the gumball drops out of the dispenser into the momentum trap track. The gumball from the trap drops into the pinball launcher, where you fire it back out and it falls into the tip-over tube. On the second side, the gumball rolls from the 180-degree smooth track and knocks over the dominos. The gumball from the domino track falls into the centripetal force funnel and into the tip-over tube, which tips over and empties into the collection cup when it is full enough. Refer to the physics explanations.

SETUP 3

Now that you have built the first two setups, try this setup. It is the most challenging.

HERE'S HOW

1. Attach the 180-degree straight track to pegs, , and on the sides of the tower as shown. Pay attention to the knob location.
   
2. Rotate the model 180 degrees so the knob is facing forward. Attach the momentum trap track to the tower to pegs , , and on the sides of the tower as shown.
   
3. Attach the domino track to pegs and on the sides under the momentum trap track, as shown.
   1. Insert the six dominos and the domino track post into the domino track.
      
4. Rotate the model 90 degrees. Attach the tip-over tube with the angled pivot post to pegs and as shown.
   
5. Rotate the model 90 degrees. Attach the variable-slope track with the straight pivot post and the holder to pegs , , and as shown.
   
6. Rotate the model 90 degrees. Attach the friction track to pegs and as shown.
   
7. Attach the pulley wheel and cups to pegs and as shown. The string between the pulley cups should be 8 inches long.
   
8. Rotate the model 90 degrees. Attach the pendulum with the angled pivot post to pegs and as shown.
   

9. Rotate the model 180 degrees. Attach the centripetal force funnel to pegs and .
   
10. Hang the collection cup on the edge of the base, under the centripetal force funnel. Adjust all the tracks and stunts so that, in your best estimation, a gumball will travel all the way from the dispenser down to the collection cup. Place a gumball in the momentum trap. It is optional to start with a gumball or two in the tip-over tube. The assembly is finished!
    

Now it's time to test the setup!

11. Follow steps 8 through 11 like you did for the first setup.
12. After a run, return the gumball to the globe each time by taking the collection cup and dumping it into the globe funnel.

WHAT'S HAPPENING ?
The tracks and stunts function similar to how they did in the previous setups. The new elements in this setup are the friction track and the pendulum. The friction track slows the gumball down. You might notice the gumball makes more sound when it goes down the friction track. The pendulum swings over and drops a gumball into the centripetal force funnel. You might also notice that gumballs don't always roll out of the variable-slope track after being dumped there from the tip-over tube. This is because the track has a low slope. Try raising the track holder to pegto increase the slope and observing what happens. Refer to the physics explanations.

Design your own! Now that you know how all the parts of the gumball machine system work, you can design, build, and test your own configurations. As a challenge, can you make a gumball machine in which the gumballs make it to the bottom every single time they are dispensed?

Kosmos Quality and Safety
More than one hundred years of expertise in publishing science experiment kits stand behind every product that bears the Kosmos name. Kosmos experiment kits are designed by an experienced team of specialists and tested with the utmost care during development and production. With regard to product safety, these experiment kits follow European and US safety standards, as well as our own refined proprietary safety guidelines. By working closely with our manufacturing partners and safety testing labs, we are able to control all stages of production. While the majority of our products are made in Germany, all of our products, regardless of origin, follow the same rigid quality standards.

Glossary of Physics Terms

Acceleration: Acceleration is the measure of the change in speed (or more accurately, velocity) over a certain amount of time.

Body: A body is a physics term for a physical thing or object; something with mass.

Center of mass: Center of mass is a point on a body representing the mean (or middle) position of the mass of the body — mass on all sides of this point balances out.

Centripetal force: Centripetal force is a force that makes a body follow a curved path.

Elastic collision: An elastic collision is an interaction between two bodies in which the total kinetic energy of the two bodies remains the same. For example, they bounce off each other perfectly.

Energy: Energy is the capacity of a body to do work.

Equilibrium: Equilibrium is the state of a body at rest or in unaccelerated motion in which the result of all forces acting on it is zero.

Force: A force is the cause of a change in a body's state of movement.

Friction: Friction is the force resisting the motion of objects sliding past each other.

Gravity: Gravity is Earth's force of attraction on mass.

Inclined plane: An inclined plane is a flat surface tilted at an angle with one end higher than the other, also called a ramp.

Inelastic collision: An inelastic collision is a collision in which kinetic energy is not conserved due to the action of internal friction. For example, the bodies deform and the collision releases heat and sound energy.

Inertia: Inertia is tendency of a body to remain at rest or in motion.

Kinetic energy: Kinetic energy is the energy of motion.

Mass: Mass is the quantity of matter in an object or a body.

Matter: Matter is any physical substance that occupies space.

Momentum: Momentum is the combined effect of the mass and velocity of a body.

Pendulum: A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot that can swing freely.

Potential energy: Potential energy is stored energy.

Projectile: A projectile is a body upon which only the force of gravity is acting.

Pulley: A pulley is a simple machine consisting of a wheel on an axle with a rope or chain running over it that changes the direction of the force used for lifting a load.

Rotational inertia: Rotational inertia is the tendency of a body to remain in motion along a circular path around an axis and to resist slowing down.

Slope: Slope is the degree of steepness; it is the ratio of the difference in the vertical position to the difference in the horizontal position of two points on a line.

Speed: Speed is the distance traveled by a body in a certain amount of time.

Spring: A spring is an elastic object that stores mechanical energy.

Stable equilibrium: Stable equilibrium is the state of a body when its center of mass is located vertically above its base of support and it won't tip over.

Velocity: Velocity is the speed and direction of motion of a body.

Weight: Weight is a measure of the force that gravity exerts on mass.

Work: Work is force exerted over a distance.

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