Chain Reactions

Engage students in exploring energy transfer as they design and build their own complex chain reactions. In this hands-on challenge, learners use dominoes as the foundation of their reaction and then engineer at least three additional mechanisms—such as levers, ramps, rolling objects, or falling structures—that keep the motion going for as long as possible. As students test, troubleshoot, and continually add complexity, they see how energy moves from one object to another and experience the excitement of turning simple materials into an elaborate, cause-and-effect machine that is always a classroom favorite.