our energy efficient car
Our project we did recently was our energy efficient car. Our job was to design and build a toy car that converts potential energy to kinetic energy, in order to move a mass 5 meters. We had three weeks to complete the project. We had to present our car prototypes in a 3-5 minute presentation to car company executives and engineers in class. The car had to be made with things we found in the cabinets, and it also had to go exactly 5 meters. My group was the closest to getting 5 meters, and we were all amazed at how well the car did. The materials we used were; wood, lego wheels, rubber bands, CDs, and a copper axle. In this project we learned about energy, friction, potential energy and kinetic energy.
physics concepts
Spring Constant: The force needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance. We used spring constant on our car by wrapping the rubber bands around the axle.
Force: The strength or energy used as an attribute of physical action. We used force by the rubber bands being pulled by the cars axle which made the car go.
Potential Energy: the energy possessed by a body by virtue of its position relative to others. The car had potential energy when it was about to take off.
Kinetic Energy: Energy that possesses by virtue of being in motion. The car had kinetic energy when we let go of it until it stopped at 5 meters.
Energy: power which may be transferred into motion, overcoming resistance, or effecting physical change. The car was using energy the whole time, because energy is not created or destroyed.
Friction: The resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another. The car had friction when it was rolling 5 meters.
Force: The strength or energy used as an attribute of physical action. We used force by the rubber bands being pulled by the cars axle which made the car go.
Potential Energy: the energy possessed by a body by virtue of its position relative to others. The car had potential energy when it was about to take off.
Kinetic Energy: Energy that possesses by virtue of being in motion. The car had kinetic energy when we let go of it until it stopped at 5 meters.
Energy: power which may be transferred into motion, overcoming resistance, or effecting physical change. The car was using energy the whole time, because energy is not created or destroyed.
Friction: The resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another. The car had friction when it was rolling 5 meters.
reflection
Overall, the project went great! My group was the only group in our class to get the closest to 5 meters, which is awesome! We built the car out of Legos, wood, and copper. We wrapped a long rubber band around the copper axle about 6 times and when we did that, it went 5 meters. It took us about 6 days to build. We all helped work on the car. The "peaks" were that the car worked exactly the way we planned and we all worked well with each other. The "pits" were the car needed more traction because the CDs were slipping out from under the floor. When it was time to race our car, it broke. We were all very sad, but it was fine. What I have learned during this project is, I now know how to build a car. Another thing I learned is that when something is not working right, having the whole team trouble shoot and think or ideas to fix the problem is a great way to find the best solution. What we all could have done better was have smaller holes for the copper axle to go through because the rubber band kept getting stuck in between the gap of the wood and the axle. One thing I could have done better, is that I still need to be more assertive in a group setting. I will continue to work on this throughout my future projects.