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Car Reference guide HERE
Plane Reference Guide HERE
POWER POINT PRESENTATION
The aerodynamics of a car is dependent on how much air the car has to move out of the way as it travels along a road. Engineers often design cars to resemble aerodynamic animals and shapes in nature. Can you think of any aerodynamic animals? (Possible answers: Fish, birds, sharks.) These animals move through the air (or water) easily and use little energy because they are sleek in their shapes, having no sharp corners or flat surfaces facing the wind. This causes the air to flow smoothly (efficiently) over them. A sleek car moves more easily through the air than a semi-truck does, which means the car is more energy efficient.
Vocabulary:
Aerodynamics- The ability of an object to cut through air (or water) efficiently
Control- A variable that you are careful to keep the same during an experiment
Dependent Variable- A variable that changes in value when you change an independent variable. Usually this is the variable about which you collect data during an experiment.
Independent Variable- A variable you intentionally change in an experiment. Usually, the intent of the experiment is to see how a change in this variable affects the dependent variable.
Resistance- The force of friction acting on an object by the ground/ air to slow it down.
Variable- Something that can be changed in an experiment.
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