About
We choose to redo the hybrid car. Except ours was not very hybrid. We powered it using a rocket. The rocket was powered using a potassium nitrate and sugar mixture. We used blended kitty litter at both ends to keep the powder inside. Then we had to build the car. Which was more of a challenge then we thought. Our first car was a parabolic 2x4. But after struggling to find wheels that would work we went to a more simplistic design. Simple wooden chassis with cardboard wheels.
Concepts
Potential Energy- the energy in an object due to its position relative to others, energy stored within itself, or height.
Potential Energy of A Spring- this is the energy stored due to the deformation of an object. In our case a rubber band beingstretched between two pegs
Kinetic Energy- energy due to motion. The equation for Kinetic Energy is KE=1/2 x mass x velocity squared. This was the force making the car move.
Spring Constant- a measure of how easily a spring is compresses and expanded, or in our case the strength of the rubber band. To find this we used Spring Constant=Force/Distance
Thermal Energy- potential energy converted into heat energy. In our car this was friction of the wheels with the ground and the axles, as well as the friction of the rails on each other.
Total Energy- the total amount of kinetic, potential, and thermal energy in a moving object, the net energy acting on the object
Potential Energy- the energy in an object due to its position relative to others, energy stored within itself, or height.
Potential Energy of A Spring- this is the energy stored due to the deformation of an object. In our case a rubber band beingstretched between two pegs
Kinetic Energy- energy due to motion. The equation for Kinetic Energy is KE=1/2 x mass x velocity squared. This was the force making the car move.
Spring Constant- a measure of how easily a spring is compresses and expanded, or in our case the strength of the rubber band. To find this we used Spring Constant=Force/Distance
Thermal Energy- potential energy converted into heat energy. In our car this was friction of the wheels with the ground and the axles, as well as the friction of the rails on each other.
Total Energy- the total amount of kinetic, potential, and thermal energy in a moving object, the net energy acting on the object
Refection
The biggest issue we had through this project was the fuse. We needed some way to get the fire into the mixture inside the tube. We couldn't seem to find a way to get something to work. We definitely collaborated really well on this project. Which I feel was one of our strongest points. Another weak point was definitely the car. The rocket was surprisingly easy to build but we needed something to attach it to. We couldn't find a way to attach the wheels to axle with full rotation due to some improper measuring. Overall this project was a fun learning experience even if we didn't get the rocket to launch.