Embedded Files
The purpose of this project was to find a way to transfer stored energy, or potential energy, into forward motion, or kinetic energy, by building a vehicle that travels a specific distance. For this project, our goal was to create a vehicle that travels exactly 5 meters and safely transports two passengers (two rolls of pennies that each weigh 250 grams) without using any chemical or nuclear energy.
IMG_7004.MOV
Alternative Energy Vehicle:
Alternative Energy Vehicle:
The Octomobile
The Octomobile
At first, we wanted to use a stopper, but we realized that wouldn't be safe for the passengers. Knowing that using no chemical or nuclear energy would be difficult, we decided to come up with an innovative way to move the car by using a slingshot. We started off by creating a blueprint. Because we were going to power our car from a slingshot, we needed rubber bands and a car that produces a minimal amount of friction. So, we looked at microscopic images of different materials in class to get an idea of what produces the most friction (see in Alternate Energy Vehicle Presentation). We put a small, wooden dowel inside the metal pipe and attached the wheels. We used wooden circles for our front wheels and discs for our back wheels. When we first built our car, we used a large, heavy piece of wood for the body of the vehicle. After testing it, we found that the excessive weight of the car was preventing it to reach 5 meters. So we replaced it with smaller, lighter wood and it resulted in traveling a little more than 5 meters. For most of the trials, it went more than 5 meters or it turned. We figured out that the reason why it turned was because of the movement of the wheels. To fix that, we hot-glued them to the wooden dowel so it would not move as much. All the modifications that we made to the car as we tested it more made the car's performance improve.
Blueprint
Blueprint
of
of
Vehicle
Vehicle
Calculations
Calculations
Force (F) = (mass)(acceleration)
The force of the slingshot exerted on the car is 9.8 N.
Spring Constant (k) = force/distance
The spring constant is 653.3 N/m. The slingshot is pulled back 0.11 meters by the car, as stated in our Alternative Energy Vehicle Presentation.
Average Velocity (v) = distance/time
Because the data that we collected was for each meter, I just found the average velocity, which came out to be 1.7 m/s.
Average Acceleration (a) = velocity/time
As you can see, the differing accelerations ranges from 5.95 to -4 m/s^2. The average acceleration of the car is 0.74 m/s^2.
Average Kinetic Energy (KE) = 1/2(mass)(velocity)^2
The KEs of the car ranged from 2.98 to 0.27 Joules. Because our energy source was a slingshot, the KE decreased as the car went farther. The average KE was 1.63 J.
Potential Energy (PE) = 1/2(spring constant)(distance)^2
Because we used a slingshot for our vehicle, all the PE builds up in the beginning. When the car is released, the PE transfers into KE, which results in 0 PE. The PE in the beginning is 3.95 J.
Total Energy = KE + PE
The total energy of the car was 3.95 J, which is equal to the PE because there was no KE in the beginning; all the energy was PE.
Average Thermal Energy (TE) = Total Energy - PE - KE
The TE ranged from 0.97 to 3.95 Joules. The average TE was 2.32 J.
Rotational Inertia = (mass)(radius)^2
The radius of the front wheels was 2.5 cm. The radius of the back wheels was 5.5 cm. The mass of the car is 1 kg, so the rotational inertia of the car was 30.25 kgm.
Graphs:
Graphs:
Distance vs. Time
Distance vs. Time
This graph displays the components of time in seconds in comparison to the distance traveled in that span of time. The vehicle reaches its maximum distance at 5.1 meters, so it goes a little bit past 5 meters but is still close.
Velocity vs. Time
Velocity vs. Time
This graph compares the components of time in seconds to the vehicle's velocity. It reaches its maximum velocity at 1 meter, traveling 2.44 m/s.
Acceleration vs. Time
Acceleration vs. Time
This graph shows the components of time in comparison to the car's acceleration. It reaches its maximum acceleration at 1 meter as well, with an acceleration of 5.95 m/s^2.
Kinetic Energy vs. Potential Energy vs. Thermal Energy vs. Total Energy
Kinetic Energy vs. Potential Energy vs. Thermal Energy vs. Total Energy
This graph is comparing four types of energy: kinetic energy, potential energy, thermal energy, and total energy.
Reflection:
Reflection:
For this project, I felt that our group worked strongly together with minimal distractions. We got everything done and our communication and collaboration was strongly present. We were focused and on track. Each member of the group did something productive almost the whole time.
What was good about the process of building the car and making the graphs and calculations was the fact that we pursued a "divide and conquer" type of process. As a group, we realized that we were behind and had a lot of work to do in such little time. We decided to each do our own thing that would contribute to our final product. When we were confused or did not fully understand something, we asked questions and got help. We communicated with the teacher when we needed help on our calculations. This process worked out well for us because we took advantage of our strengths and weaknesses while being aware of what was needed to be done.
Something that I feel I could've worked on was Cultural Competence. Although my group and I worked efficiently together, I could have been more aware of other people's perspectives. I felt like I could've shown more respect for other people's ideas. I know to work on that for our following projects.
Overall, I think that we displayed Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking thoroughly. Practicing the 6 C's throughout this project helped our group work well and efficiently. Of course, there's always room for improvement, so I will strive to always do better.
Page updated
Report abuse