Rollback Can
A fun way to demonstrate potential and kinetic energy
Topics: Potential &
Kinetic Energy, Energy
Conversion, Motion
Materials List
9 Tube (or can) with
1 or 2 open ends
and a ~10 cm (4”)
or greater diameter
9 Cover for open
end(s) of tube
9 Rubber band that
stretches the length
of tube
9 Weight(s) (large
metal nut or
similarly heavy,
dense object)
9 Paperclips or equal
9 Tape or equal
9 Hole making tool -
punch, nail, or drill
9 Small tube or
tubing, if needed
This Activity can be used
to teach (CA Science
Standards):
• Stored energy (Grade
3, 1.b and 1.c)
• Motion (Grade 2, 1.b
and 1.c; Grade 8, 1.0)
• Forces (Grade 8, 2.0)
RAFT design and idea sheet by Michael Pollock (RAFT)
2nd
1s “X-ray” view
How can a rolling can return to its starting point, seemingly unaided? The Rollback
Can provides a neat example of storing energy and of energy changing form.
Assembly
1. Poke, punch, or drill a ~5 mm (¼”) hole in the center of the cap(s) and any closed
end. Be very cautious around any sharp metal edges! To cover the sharp metal
edges of a hole a small tube, such as a micro vial (closed end cut off), or a piece
of tubing could be inserted in the hole. The hole should be slightly smaller than
the inserted piece, creating a jam fit, so the piece will not fall out.
2. Securely attach the weight to both sides of the rubber band loop in the middle.
Most of the weight should be offset as shown in the X-ray image. If the weight
has wires or bendable tabs then these could be carefully bent over the rubber band
and/or taped. The weight must be firmly secured to the rubber band. The weight
must not touch the sides of the can when it is inserted in step 7. Adjust the
attachment point or use a different weight if this will not be the case.
3. Push a loop of the rubber band through the hole in the unopened end, if present,
of the tube (or can) or else through the hole in one of the caps, starting from the
inside going to the outside. An unbent paperclip with a hooked end can be used to
pull the rubber band through the small hole, as shown below.
4. Insert a paperclip or straw section into the loop, as shown, to secure it in place. If
a micro vial with a hinged cover cap was inserted in the hole (see step 1), then the
micro vial cap can be inserted into the loop instead.
Straw or
paperclip
Equal tension
Weight
5. Adjust the rubber band loop so the sides going to the weight have equal tension.
6. If the tube (or can) has two open ends then put the cap and rubber band
combination made above on an open end of the tube (or can).
7. Pull the rubber band out from inside the tube (or can) and insert it into the hole in
the remaining cap, starting from the inside. Secure with a paperclip or straw
section as noted in step 4. Adjust the loop as noted in step 5, if needed.
8. Put the cap on the tube (or can). The rubber band should be taut enough so the
weight does not touch the sides when the tube (or can) is placed in a horizontal
position. Shorten the rubber band by tying a knot or use a shorter rubber band.
9. Tape the paperclip or straw sections to the cap on each end of the tube (or can), as
shown at the top of this page, so the rubber band will not rotate on the cap.
Copyright 2005, RAFT
 To Do and Notice
Suggestion: Show students a working model before they try to make their own Rollback Can. Discuss
observations and ask what they think could be making the Rollback Can roll back?
1. Give the rollback can a firm push or light throw on a smooth surface, such as a linoleum or cement floor.
2. Watch as the Rollback Can rolls, slows down, stops, and then returns, stopping close to or even past its
starting point! Note: If the Rollback Can is given too forceful a push, a tapping sound may be heard at some
point. This is caused by the weight(s) being rotated by the rubber band that has become too tightly wound.
This reduces the amount of available stored energy and the Rollback Can will not return to its starting point.
3. It is possible to pre-wind the Rollback Can by hand or by shaking it in a circular motion. The Rollback Can
will then roll away when it is place on a flat surface without needing to be pushed. The Rollback Can will
seem to move on its own if students do not know it has been pre-wound! A pre-wound Rollback Can may
even be able roll up a slight incline.
Note: Over time the rubber band may weaken such that the Rollback Can will not work as well or even at all. The
rubber band can be shortened or replaced, as needed, to restore the Rollback Can to full operation.

The Science Behind the Activity

The Rollback Can is an example of energy being stored in one form and then released in different form. Much of
the energy provided by pushing is stored in the rubber band as it is twisted. Later the stored (potential) energy is
released as it is converted back into moving (kinetic) energy. Some energy is lost to friction and sound as the
Rollback Can moves through the air and along a surface.
The “secret” to the Rollback Can is in the weight that hangs from the rubber band. This weight is pulled down by
gravity while it is also receives a twisting force from the rubber band as the Rollback Can rolls. As long as the
weight does not lift over the rubber band, the band will become twisted tighter and tighter as the Rollback Can’s
ends rotate. The twisting rubber band stores elastic potential energy. The force needed to further twist the rubber
band increases as the twisting becomes tighter. At some point all the kinetic energy of motion has been
transferred to friction (heat), sound, and to the potential energy stored in the tightly twisted rubber band. At that
point the Rollback Can will stop moving forward. The twisted rubber band will then be able to unwind. The
rubber band applies a twisting (rotational) force to the ends of the tube (or can) and the weight in the middle.
Only the ends, and thus the Rollback Can, are free to rotate since the weight is too heavy for the twisted rubber
band to fully lift over the rubber band. The stored energy in the rubber band is released as the Rollback Can turns,
moving backwards towards its starting point.
A weight with its center of gravity farther from the attachment point to the rubber band will require more energy
to lift. A weight with more mass will also require more energy to lift. Both of these conditions can allow more
energy to be stored in the rubber band. Changing these variables will alter the performance of the Rollback Can.
The rubber band can become so tightly wound that the weight is lifted up and then rotates around the rubber band
in the opposite direction, unwinding it. Some of the stored elastic potential energy is then converted into the
kinetic energy of the rotating weight. This reduces the total amount of stored energy available to rotate the
Rollback Can. In this situation the Rollback Can will not return to its starting point.

Taking it Further
• Using a clear tube for the Rollback Can would make it easier to see how the weight and rubber band interact
when the Rollback Can rolls.
• The Rollback Can could be pre-wound as noted earlier and then placed on its end on a flat surface. The
Rollback Can will then put on a surprising display of motion as the weight swings around inside the can since
the Rollback Can cannot roll. This happens because the end of the can is relatively fixed due to the friction
between it and the surface below it, but now the weight is free to swing around the rubber band as it untwists.
The Rollback Can will shake around and may even tip over.
• Using different amounts of weight and sizes of rubber band will result in a range of behaviors that can be
optimized for – shortest time over a certain distance, furthest roll, etc.
Web Resources - Visit www.raft.net/more for how-to videos and more ideas!
Rollback Can, page 2 Copyright 2005, RAFT