Science Journal

Google Science Journal

Overview Document: Design and build your own balloon- powered car that will travel as far and fast as possible and explore how the Google Science Journal app can enhance already existing lessons. Educators will have a hands on opportunity to explore this app.

Unit or experience outline

• Educators will work to brainstorm, outline, and create their own unique balloon car with various materials
• Educators have free rain on what materials they use, so some might work better than others. Educators may even need rebuild their car using different materials until they find one that works best for them
• Educators will test their car and compare them against others made by their classmates.

Unit assessment

• Educators will be given a quiz that focuses on their knowledge of key terminology in this experiment
  • Body (of a car)
  • Wheel
  • Axle
  • Air pressure
  • Kinetic energy
  • Reaction force
  • Potential energy
  • Newton’s third law of motion
• Educators will also participate in a group discussion to create a hypothesis of how far and fast the cars they have built will travel
• Educators will also be graded on their interactions and participation in this collaborative project

Unit support materials

• Car draft design paper (just a blank piece of paper)
• Vocab quiz

Unit lesson plans

1. Work in teams of 2-3 to create a draft design requirement.

• Educators will need to write a list of the materials they will be using
• Example materials include
  • CDs
  • Balloons (required)
  • Jumbo Straws
  • Wooden pencils
  • Paper
  • Jumbo paper clips
  • Tape
  • Plastic bottle/cup
  • Cardboard box
  • Bottle caps
  • Sponge
  • Dry modeling clay
  • Iphone (to record data- Speed and distance)

2. Design your car

• Pick your materials
• Make a sketch of your car on paper

3. Test your car

• Inflate the balloon
• Pinch the end of the balloon to prevent air from escaping
• Put car down and let go of balloon
  • Take a video of the first test run
• What car closely! Does it move forward? Does it go straight, how far does the car go? Do any of the parts fall apart?
• Write down observation during each test run and make any adjustments
• Repeat the above steps until you feel your car is the best it can be
• Add a smartphone to measure distance and speed using Google Science Journal.