For this project our goal was to find an alternative energy source for cars that excluded gas and electricity. We then had to create a car that could travel five meters then stop using this form of energy. After we designed and contructed that car, we then created a presentation of the car and why it would be beneficial.
After building our vehicle, we had to explain how it works. We used these physics concepts to show how our car functions: spring potential energy, acceleration, and velocity.
Spring Potential Energy: Spring potential energy is the potential energy stored in a spring after being compressed or expanded. This can be found with the equation: PE(spring)=1/2kx^2 where k is the spring constant of the spring. The higher k is, the stronger the spring is. k can be found using the equation k=F/d where F is the force acting on the spring and d is the distance the spring is moved Acceleration: Acceleration is the change in velocity of an object. Acceleration can be found using the equation a= Δv/ Δt where v is velocity and t is time. Velocity: Velocity is the rate of distance covered in a certain direction. Velocity can be found using the equation v= Δd/ Δt where d is distance and t is time. |
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Reflection:
After completing this project, I realized that time management is the key to having a successful project. At the start we were progressing consistently but towards the middle of our time schedule we starting to lag and we had slow progress. My group would usually mess around for half the time and only put in a little work each day until we had only a week left. Once we realized we might not finish on time we had to put in a lot more effort to actually complete our goals. If I were to do the project over, I would have enjoyed having a goal calander or a set of steps we wanted to complete each day so we would not have to worry about everything last minute. Another problem I noticed was using materials besides tape and glue and also making sure our car was aesthetically pleasing. This was especially challenging for this prject because we wanted our car to be as light-weight as possible in order to ensure maximum distaance. That created the issue of not being able to connect things with bolts or screws as we used a bottle for the frame. If I could change something in addition to time management, I would have used soft and light wood instead of a bottle for our car frame. This would make the actual car look nicer, but also allow connecting wheels and their axles easier too.
After completing this project, I realized that time management is the key to having a successful project. At the start we were progressing consistently but towards the middle of our time schedule we starting to lag and we had slow progress. My group would usually mess around for half the time and only put in a little work each day until we had only a week left. Once we realized we might not finish on time we had to put in a lot more effort to actually complete our goals. If I were to do the project over, I would have enjoyed having a goal calander or a set of steps we wanted to complete each day so we would not have to worry about everything last minute. Another problem I noticed was using materials besides tape and glue and also making sure our car was aesthetically pleasing. This was especially challenging for this prject because we wanted our car to be as light-weight as possible in order to ensure maximum distaance. That created the issue of not being able to connect things with bolts or screws as we used a bottle for the frame. If I could change something in addition to time management, I would have used soft and light wood instead of a bottle for our car frame. This would make the actual car look nicer, but also allow connecting wheels and their axles easier too.