Hannah's Build-It
Regina Vermina Radical Velocity Rolling Vehicle for Recreating Vermin
Materials:
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Box- body of the vehicle
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2 wooden dowels-axles
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4 CDs- wheels
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Hot glue- to secure everything
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4 squares of heavy cardboard with a centered hole- bearings for the axles
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4 squares of wood with a hole in the middle- to keep the wheel tight with the axle
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Gummy worms- passengers
We had been tasked to produce a vehicle that could carry "Recreating Vermin" as far and as fast as possible all while keeping them fastened by some sort of seatbelt in case of an accident, all for Regina Vermina's theme park.
This fun project tasks students with pondering velocity, measurements, and gravity in a silly, yet fun experiment.
The wheel with the wooden square to help keep a tighter hold on the axle.
The axle with one of its wheels glued snug onto it.
The bearings glued to the body of the vehicle, ready for the axles to be put through the holes. Note that the bearing are parallel to one another.
One of the two axles through the bearings, before the other wheel was fastened to the other side. Notice how the axle lays straight and not at an angle.
Our finished product: STELLA! We opted for a windshield and rubber band seat restraint.
We let go of Stella on a ramp at heights of 0m, 30m, 50m, 100m and then measured the distance traveled.
K-6 Science Curriculum Standards included or paralleled with the context of this project:
K.P.1 Understand the positions and motions of objects and organisms observed in the environment
3.P.1 Understand motion and factors that affect motion
3.P.3 Recognize how energy can be transferred from one object to another
4.P.1 Explain how various forces affect the motion of an object
5.P.1 Understand force, motion, and the relationship between them
6.P.3 Understand characteristics of energy transfer and interactions of matter and energy
Math tools included in this project:
Measuring in centimeters and meters
Averaging the distance travelled
Collecting data (distance travelled and the ramp heights)
Chart and graph making
I have included a chart that lists the distance Stella rolled from the top of the ramp with each trial. We decided to start the car with the back wheels on the top edge of the board each time. We did not push the car; we only let it go. We also measured the distance from the bottom edge of the board to where the car stopped. Additionally I have made a line graph to represent the average speed of Stella compared to the ramp height she was released at.
Stella stealing the show!
Stella's safety test!
The Science behind the madness:
Newton's first law, the law of inertia: an object in motion remains in motion with the same speed and the same direction unless acted on by an unbalanced force, this allows our worm passengers to remain in their car. Due to being strapped in by the rubber band seat belts the passengers share the same state of motion as the car, unlike passengers who do not wear seatbelts and fly through their windshield.
Energy Transfer- Energy is always transferred; it can never disappear. Every bit of energy begins with the sun in some way and is therefore: Solar Energy… Making Stella a solar powered car. The sun’s energy is transferred to growing crops, which then is eaten by animals that turns into the food people eat. The food eaten by humans gives them energy for activity. This activity turns into gravitational potential energy, which then in turn creates kinetic energy. The kinetic energy then creates sound and/or heat energy. When the car is released its energy is transferred into the sound of it rolling and the tiny bit of heat produced by the friction of its wheels.
