Challenge level
Age
7 to 14
Image
In this project, you will design your own mat and test it against others to see which is best for flipping and catching.
You will need to think about:
- Shape - should it be a regular polygon, an irregular polygon, or should it be circular or have rounded sides?
- Size - what is the optimum size for flipping and catching, does it depend on the size of the person's hand?
- Material - it needs to be easy to catch, not too slippery, perhaps slightly flexible but not too flexible. You don't want it to hurt your hand!
- Design - you will want your mat to be eye-catching, to stand out from the crowd!
Once you've designed your drinks mat, you need to test it against other people's. How will you plan a fair test? You will need to think about what a standard 'flip' is, and how you can make sure that all flips are the same as far as possible.