Balloon Powered Car

Abstract:

Building a Balloon-Powered Car

Before I picked my project I went to my parents and picked a category. I then picked a project where I would build something. Then I searched on the internet and it brought me to this. For my project I decided to build a Balloon-Powered Car and see how far it goes. My design goal was to build a working Balloon-Powered Car and have it travel at least 50 inches. I expected my project to not pass 50 inches.

I made a hole in the bottom of the bottle and one at the top. I slid the straw through the one on the bottom and than the one at the top. I then taped together two toothpicks and taped another two toothpicks together and glued them to the bottom of the bottle. I then put the wheels on and wrapped around tape to make sure they do not fall off. The first time I tried it, it worked but then I tried it again and I noticed that there was a hole in the balloon so I fixed it. When testing the car I blew into it and it shot forward when I let it go.

The average distance it went was 80.2 inches. I put down the tape measurer and blew into the straw and it made it go forward. When the air goes into the balloon it releases the air out the back of the straw making it shoot forward.

The Balloon-Powered Car was successfully able to pass 50 inches, but the floor was not flat enough. If I tested it on a table it would of went off the table so I did it on my kitchen floor, but my kitchen floor is not that straight. My design could be improved by changing where I tested it.

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