Curriculum Extension Guides

Primary Curriculum Extension Guide Selected activity ideas to help teachers meet KS2 curriculum targets while the students explore the key engineering and science principles they need to consider when making a competitive rocket car. Primary level activities include: coding a stopwatch with micro:bit investigating air resistance and drag using a 3D design program to produce virtual prototypes

9-11 Activity: Make a micro:bit stopwatch Micro:bit is an easy to use, cost effective and versatile technology to help students learn computer science. A micro:bit is used as a data-logger in the Race For The Line competition but it can be easily reprogrammed to do other things. This activity involves turning a micro:bit into a digital stopwatch, ideal for measuring how quickly your foam cars are going! www.microbit.org

9-11 Activity: Exploring air resistance Foam cars descending down an inclined slope can be measured very accurately leading to high quality science investigation opportunities. What happens if I add an air brake to my foam car? What happens if I change the angle? What happens if I change the surface? Students can explore air resistance, gravity and friction and use technology to accurately capture and display data as tables or graphs in order to help make predictions.

9-11 Activity: Using 3D design programs There are no wind tunnels or rolling roads that work at the 1000mph that would be needed to test the BloodhoundSSC car. Instead engineers and designers make virtual models that they can test or use to discuss ideas. Students can explore these 3D design skills using easy to use 3D programs like TinkerCad. These same skills are also the foundation for 3D printing and exploring modern advances in manufacturing or film and media.

Secondary Curriculum Extension Guide Selected activity ideas to help teachers meet 11 to 16 curriculum targets while the students explore the key engineering and science principles they need to consider when making a competitive rocket car. Activities include: Exploring aerodynamics and air resistance using models Calculating acceleration and velocity from time & distance data Using simulation software to explore mechanisms and forces

11-16 Activity: Aerodynamics and drag There is an optimal shape for a transonic vehicle called a ‘Sears Haack’ shape. Using this as a basis for a model car, students can then modify their own model with airbrakes or weights to explore the impact of air resistance and mass on acceleration and final velocity. Students can also explore creating a various timing gates using a micro:bit to accurately record how long it takes their vehicles to travel down a ramp.

11-16 Activity: Mathematics of Movement By carefully measuring and plotting the time it takes for a car to pass a series of spaced markers, a Distance/Time graph can be created. From this the students can use the velocity = distance/time equation to create a graph of velocity Using acceleration = change in velocity/change in time students can then create a graph of acceleration. Finally, using the weight of the car and the Newton’s force = mass x acceleration formula, the thrust of the car can be calculated!

11-16 Activity: Physics simulation Algodoo is a free application for Windows (also available as an app on Mac and iOS) that enables students to create a huge variety of fully working virtual mechanisms quickly and easily. The software includes a virtual data-logger allowing students to speculate and test their own ‘what if..’ questions. The software even has a virtual rocket motor that can be used to simulate their own Race For The Line rocket cars. Once they have mastered the science of forces they can disable gravity and air resistance in the simulator and see how their creations might work in outer space!