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Understanding Car Crashes Physics
Let's get ready to crash some cars !!!
For your challenge you will design, construct and test a vehicle made out of plastic straws to protect a raw egg from cracking after crashing into a barrier at high speed !!!
I. Introductory Activity:
Get an "Understanding Car Crashes, It's Basic Physics" worksheet from the teacher.
Watch the Understanding Car Crashes video.
As you watch the video, record the correct answers on the worksheet.
When you have completed the worksheet, turn on your call light and your instructor will check your work.
Save this document, you can reference the information on it as you progress through the module.
Take the Car Crash Physics Test, you can use your worksheet as a "cheat sheet". You must score a 100% on the test. You can take the test as many times as you need.
II. Designing a collision safety device
Crash test questions:
How do people survive major collisions ?
How does physics explain the effectiveness of seat belts and airbags ?
Purpose:
To design, build, test and evaluate a landing pad or "safety device" to protect an egg during a collision with a hard surface (desk top or floor).
To describe a collision in terms of changing momentum, impulse, impact force and impact time.
Materials needed (for each group of two students):
10 sheets of copier paper
1 meter of masking tape
scissors
raw egg in a plastic bag
Discussion:
How do people survive major collisions ? Scientists and engineers apply the laws of physics to reduce damage to both cares and passengers. during this activity, you will work in groups to design, build, test and evaluate a "collision safety device" (in the form of a landing pad) to protect a raw egg during a collision with a hard surface (desk or floor). Hopefully, this process will help you discover the physics underlying some of the "eggcellent" safety devices in a car !
Procedure:
Using no more than 10 sheets of paper, one meter of masking tape and the following parameters listed below, design, build and test a landing pad/"collision safety device" that will protect an egg dropped from ever increasing heights (0.5m, 1.0m, 1.5m, 2.0m...)
Parameters:
Groups may use less, but no more than 10 sheets of paper.
Collision Safety Devices must be free-standing. Teams cannot support their devices by holding them or taping them to another structure.
Nothing may be attached to the egg, except a protective plastic bag.
Scissors may not be part of the Collision Safety Device.
Dropping height is measured from the bottom of the egg, at the release point, to the top of the Collision Safety Device.
Eggs will be dropped by a member of the Device's design team.
Eggs that miss the Safety Device when dropped are eliminated and considered a fail.
Eggs should be inspected before testing to insure there are no cracks present.
Eggs that survive the initial impact but roll off the Device and break are considered failures.
Teams that break their egg by accident or carelessness are considered a failure.
In order to simulate car collisions with greater momentum, the eggs will be dropped from successively greater heights.
Devices must be completed within a pre-specified time period.
III. Introductory Activity
Watch the following video MythBusters: Car Crash Forces and answer the essay questions on pages 3-4 of the Understanding Car Crashes, It's Basic Physics worksheet.
Be prepared to verbally answer some questions related to both modules before you are issued supplies for your Egg Crash Car.
IV. Design, Construct and Test an Egg Crash Car
Purpose:
To design, build, test and evaluate a landing pad an egg crash car to protect an egg during a collision with a hard surface (desk top, solid barrier or floor).
To learn and to appreciate the science and safety associated with land based transportation.
Materials needed (each student will build an egg crash car):
pre-specified number of straws (10-20 for beta test)
hot glue gun and ONE glue slugs
scissors
two wheel axles
two eye hooks
four wheels
wooden base
egg carton (seat)
SAVE YOUR EYE HOOKS, AXLES AND WHEELS, YOU WILL NEED THESE FOR YOUR DRAGSTER !
Discussion/Procedure:
If the egg is discharged from the passenger compartment, the test automatically fails irrespective of whether the egg is cracked or not!
Based on the knowledge gained in the previous exercises, students will design, construct and test an egg crash car designed to withstand a collision from a height no less than 6' and no greater than 8' OR survive a pre-fabricated crash testing device.
Students are responsible for designing and constructing their egg crash car using the materials provided.
Students cannot use any unauthorized material unless given prior approval by the instructor.
Collect and Inventory Materials:
Attach Eye Hooks to Bottom of Base (Chassis):
Cut Axles to Size and Attach Rear Wheels:
Cut Front Axles to Size and Attach Front Wheels:
Attach Egg Compartment to Top of Base Using Hot Melt Glue:
Begin Design and Assembly of Safety Crumple Zone Using Straws or Other Authorized Materials:
It is critically important that you design a seat belt system to hold your egg in place during the collision !
Students can use materials from home or the lab, provided these materials are safe and the vehicle does not weigh over 100 grams.
Parameters:
Cars can't be greater than 8" in length.
Cars can't be greater than 8" in height.
Cars can't be greater than 8" in width.
Cars must be under 150 grams, not including egg
Cars must satisfy the Friction Test by rolling at least 2' off the ramp.
Cars must have the same size wood base.
Cars must have a rear and front axle with four wheels.
Cars will have the axle located within a straw attached perpendicular to the direction of travel.
Cars must have an egg car seat made from an egg carton.
Eggs must be inserted into the car prior to the test.
Eggs should be easy to insert and remove from egg crash car, similar to a real car
Assessments:
Understanding Car Crash Physics worksheet
Car Crash Physics Test
Collision Safety Device, Egg Drop
Egg Crash Car
DO NOT DISCARD YOUR EYE HOOKS, AXLES AND WHEELS, YOU WILL NEED THESE FOR YOUR DRAGSTER AND OTHER PROJECTS!
DO NOT DISCARD YOUR EYE HOOKS, AXLES AND WHEELS, YOU WILL NEED THESE FOR YOUR DRAGSTER AND OTHER PROJECTS!
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