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Earthquake Ball Bearing Experiments

Earthquake technology uses ball bearings to reduce friction in structures in an attempt to reduce damage during high-intensity shaking. Many experiments can be done in a classroom setting to simulate the forces at play on structures during earthquakes. Some use rubber balls and marbles with "shaker boards" on top of them to illustrate the earthquake forces and reduction of structural damage due to the ball bearings.

K-8
- Structural damage is studied in earthquake zones to make buildings safer.
  
  A Web site called Math Science Nucleus offers several very basic ball bearing earthquake experiments. A one-week lesson plan for fourth graders includes information about seismographs, the Richter and Mercalli Scales and potential structural damages. In another area on the same site, an in-depth study of previous earthquake damage takes place, followed by a shaker board experiment using marbles as ball bearings. Discovery Education has an experiment for constructing earthquake-proof buildings that use marbles as ball bearings as well. Their lesson plan is geared to grades six to eight and is pretty elaborate, using dowels, PVC piping, plywood, saw and drill. Zachary Selig created a 2006 Science Fair project entitled "Earthquake Resistant Building Foundations," which summarizes his experiments with ball bearings, structures and earthquakes.
High School
- Ball bearings under structures absorb and disperse strong seismic forces.
  
  Teachers' Domain offers a one-period shaker board experiment,
  
  geared to grades nine and ten, which uses rubber balls to imitate ball bearings. This lesson plan teaches about basic physics and math as applied to architecture and design in earthquake scenarios. The experiment shows building archetypes that can "absorb, disperse and withstand strong seismic forces," and also speaks about how not only buildings, but also highways, bridges and other infrastructure use ball bearing technology for load-bearing needs. The lesson helps students explore seismically safe design principles and also provides a 4-1/2 minute video about earthquakes.
Other Earthquake Ball Bearing Experiments
- Richter and Mercalli scales are used to measure earthquake force on structures.
  
  Try Engineering has a Web site called Get Your Bearings. This site provides worksheets for students ages 8 to 18, and a lesson plan for teachers, with step-by-step instructions, for an experiment that teaches students how friction is reduced in architecture using ball bearings. Also included are topics such as ball bearings in roller skates and bicycles and industrial uses for ball bearings. University of California at Berkeley has the largest "shake table" available to reproduce earthquake-like motions for experiments. UC Berkeley also provides a Web page with earthquake information for students, including the Richter and Mercalli scales, and information necessary to predict the types of forces an earthquake thrusts upon a structure. Their site also provides clear explanations of the types of motion, such as horizontal or vertical, that can occur in earthquakes.

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