Embedded Files
Our Task
Our Task
The goal of this project was to design and create a prototype of a vehicle that would travel as close to 5m as possible while carrying two rolls of pennies. The vehicle could not be powered by chemical or nuclear energy, and instead ran on an alternate energy source. In the end, we made a presentation of the prototype for the Hyundai car company.
For this project, we worked in the same groups as the Fire Away project. Our design uses the spring potential energy of rubber bands as the energy source. The rubber band hooks onto a nail on the bottom of the car and wraps around the back axle to wind up the car.
Content
Content
Spring Constant (k): how resistant or rigid an object is
Example: spring constant of the rubber band is 20N/m
Spring Potential Energy (PEspring): potential energy stored in the stretch or compression of an object
Example: when fully wound up, the rubber band had a spring potential energy of 1.63J
Kinetic Energy (KE): energy of motion
Example: at 2m, the car had 0.6J of kinetic energy
Total Energy: the sum of all energies present in an object
Thermal Energy (TE): energy lost to heat or friction; thermal energy is equal to the total energy minus the sum of kinetic and potential energy
Rotational Inertia (I): how difficult it is to change the rotational velocity of an object
Example: more mass near the center of the wheel decreases rotational inertia, making it easier to get the car rolling
Reflection
Reflection
Overall, this project went smoothly, and we made very few modifications to the initial design. During this project, I was successful at leadership, contributing new ideas, and taking initiative to get things done. Another thing we did well on was creativity. Although the design of the car was like many others in the class, we painted the car to look visually appealing, and made the slideshow presentation entertaining to watch.
However, as always, there were elements we could improve on. For example, the data collection and calculations were rushed and not precise, leading to the data being possibly inaccurate. Next time, I could take more accurate data and precise calculations. Another thing we could improve on is work load distribution and communication. My teammates and I prefered to work more independantly, and didn't distribute the work as evenly as it could have been.
Report abuse