Project Description
The goal of this project was to construct a car that could safely transport two rolls of pennies, which acted as passengers, five meters. The car had to have an different energy source that current cars use. Our group chose to use the power or force of gravitational pull by placing the car on a ramp and having it roll down. Though there were complications with the designing of the car and overall construction, the project was as successful as possible. At the end of the construction, we made a google slide to be able to clearly share our vehicle with others.
This is Our Car!
Presentation
Terms
Distance vs. Time- In the presentation, you might have seen a distance vs. time chart. This type of chart compares the distance of the vehicle to the time it took to travel that distance. As shown in the graph at right, the distance, which is the vertical axis, is covered over a certain amount of time, the horizontal axis. However this graph is a bit special, on the graph there is negative time. For our project we had used a ramp, meaning that on the ramp it had covered distance. The negative time was made to represent the time on the ramp.
Velocity (m/s)- This is the rate of covered distance in a direction. To find velocity, you use the equation v= d/t, "v" stands for velocity, "d" is distance which is measured in meters, and "t" means time, which is measured in seconds. We found the velocity of the vehicle by measuring how far it traveled, and how long it took, this way we knew how fast it traveled. The unit is (m/s), Kinetic Energy- Energy due to motion. The equation is KE= mv²/2, "m" for mass, "v" for velocity. The kinetic energy was found on the ramp to see how much of the potential energy was converted into kinetic energy. The unit is Joules (J) Thermal Energy- Energy that is transferred into heat. The way you would find thermal energy would be to subtract kinetic energy from the total energy. We found the thermal energy to see how much of the energy was not transferred to kinetic. The unit is (J) Friction- Force opposing the direction of the motion due to roughness at the molecular level. We used friction to keep our car on the ground so it would not fall off. |
Gravitational Potential Energy- Energy an object has due to it's position at the height in a gravitational field. The equation used was PEg = mgh, "m" for mass, "g" for the gravitational pull, which is 9.8 meters per seconds squared, "h" for height in meters. We found the potential energy of the car when it was placed on the ramp.The unit for potential energy is Joules(J).
|
Reflection
I felt as though the work I had done for this project was very average. Though I did help out with the construction, I felt as though I made small mistakes that seem to have affected the vehicle negatively. For example, the screw that acted as wheels were not completely straight which caused to vehicle to not travel straight. The presentation also had too many words, there could have bee better sumerazing. But my work was not trash either and was still a little better than average.
During this project, I improved on assisting in the construction and the leadership role. However, we could improve on time management, and focusing. For this project I actually help saw and cut stuff, and help out more with the actual making of the project. I was able to improve on my leadership role, I was more active in the group with adding ideas and helping out when things looked grim. Things become a bit grim when the construction date passed and we still did not have a working car, meaning we should have managed our time much better. At times we seemed a bit off topic and could use a little work on focusing.
A peak of this project was figuring out how to work the graphs, even though we had help because it was just so satisfying. Also that way we could use graphs in the future if it is necessary.
A pit of this project was when it was not working and we had to think of something different. This was a huge pit because we basically took off half our vehicle and changed our idea completely. In the end it did not turn out so good, however we completed.
During this project, I improved on assisting in the construction and the leadership role. However, we could improve on time management, and focusing. For this project I actually help saw and cut stuff, and help out more with the actual making of the project. I was able to improve on my leadership role, I was more active in the group with adding ideas and helping out when things looked grim. Things become a bit grim when the construction date passed and we still did not have a working car, meaning we should have managed our time much better. At times we seemed a bit off topic and could use a little work on focusing.
A peak of this project was figuring out how to work the graphs, even though we had help because it was just so satisfying. Also that way we could use graphs in the future if it is necessary.
A pit of this project was when it was not working and we had to think of something different. This was a huge pit because we basically took off half our vehicle and changed our idea completely. In the end it did not turn out so good, however we completed.