1. In which half of the track did your car go faster?
The car would get faster as it went further down the track even after the pole was in the resting position and the rubber band done. The track space I have is 25 feet but my car could go much further.
Why?
The rubber band and the pole give it more and more energy as the band unravels. The acceleration gets faster and faster. I also found that when I wrap the rubber band, I have to pull the pole with it and not set the pole in the position then wrap. I get a lot more speed this way.
2. What is currently working well with your car?
The original car was working well, but the wheels wobbled. I put washers in the axel side and I put foam circles on the outer side to eliminate the wobble. I tried putting cork but it slowed the car down too much. I also tried adding wooden wheels but they were too thick for the axel.
My current modifications work really well and I do not have enough track to see how far it will go.
3. What is not working well with your car?
The rubber band wears out and breaks after a while so I need to have a few extra on hand.
4. How would you improve your car?
I was thinking to add grease to the washers to encourage the wheels to spin faster. I also want to decorate it more.
5. How are you overcoming working with the forces mentioned during this unit?
I worked to eliminate the wobble in the wheels to cut down on the air friction. I also tried a long rubber band but it slowed it down. The shorter rubber band works better.
6. What are some interesting aspects to your car?
I think some of the interesting things I did was, I used tie ties to attach the pole, I used hot glue to mount the mousetrap, I added washers and a foam hubcap to the wheels, I also tried to paint it to have a sleek look.
My Data
Time |
Trial 1 |
Trial 2 |
Trial 3 |
Average |
Mean |
Speed (D/T) |
3 feet |
1.51 |
1.26 |
1.18 |
1.32 |
1.26 |
2.3 |
6 feet |
2.11 |
2.25 |
2.05 |
2.14 |
2.11 |
2.8 |
9 feet |
2.38 |
2.40 |
2.80 |
2.53 |
2.40 |
3.6 |
25 feet |
7.2 |
6.44 |
6.55 |
6.73 |
6.44 |
3.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 feet increment |
1.51 |
1.26 |
1.18 |
1.32 |
1.26 |
2.3 |
6 feet increment |
0.60 |
0.99 |
0.87 |
0.82 |
0.87 |
3.7 |
6 feet increment |
0.81 |
0.72 |
0.67 |
0.73 |
0.72 |
4.1 |
9 feet increment |
0.27 |
0.15 |
0.75 |
0.39 |
0.27 |
7.7 |
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