General science 8 Paper car race and crash contest

General objectives: Materials: Requirements: Objective: To discuss factors that designers and engineers need to think about when designing a race car (or family car for that matter). To design and build a race car using only a limited amount of resources. The car must role down a track and be able to carry a large, grade A egg (for crash test only). To take data from the tests runs and calculate the average speed, instaneous speeds, acceleration, and momentum at impact. Students will then use this information to rate each car on it “worthiness.” 3 sheets of paper Glue 12 inches of masking tape 4 wheels 1 drinking straw 2 axles You may not use any other materials than what is listed above You may design more than 1 car, but must choose one to enter Car Width – 6.5 cm (max) Car Mass – 30 grams Must be able to hold 1 large egg

Day 1: design the prototype Discuss with your group the following key ideas before you start to design: What forces will be acting on the car as it travels down the track? What design will allow an egg to be transported and be able to be removed easily between crashes? How will impact forces be absorbed or diverted away from the egg? Design your prototype and make adjustments as you design. Feel free to test the prototype on a piece of sample track.