Hybrid Car Battery Design
The goal of this project was to learn about the different types of energy and how to convert them efficiently in order to create a energy efficient car design. We had certain goals that our car had to meet, they included:
- Building a hybrid car
- Making the car stop as close to 5 meters as possible
- Collecting data and creating performance graphs from it
- Creating a sales presentation for the car
- Presenting the sales pitch
The Building Process
We started by brainstorming ideas on how we wanted our car to run and what kind of energy it would use. Next we decided to come up with a catchy name for our car. We agreed on Ham-borghini as a mix between pigs (thanks to Marianna) and a car that I think is very cool.
Steps:
1) We started by agreeing to use air to power our car
2) We brought in the parts to make our car
3) We got a small rectangular piece of cardboard to use as the base
4) We then attached two large straws to the underside
5) Next we attached plastic covers to the ends of the straws
6) These plastic covers were then glued to 4 CD's which we used as wheels
7) After testing the wheels we taped a balloon to another large straw
8) We then attached the straw to the top of the car
9) Lastly we spray painted it
10) Tested the car
My group and I created this presentation to support our final product:
- Building a hybrid car
- Making the car stop as close to 5 meters as possible
- Collecting data and creating performance graphs from it
- Creating a sales presentation for the car
- Presenting the sales pitch
The Building Process
We started by brainstorming ideas on how we wanted our car to run and what kind of energy it would use. Next we decided to come up with a catchy name for our car. We agreed on Ham-borghini as a mix between pigs (thanks to Marianna) and a car that I think is very cool.
Steps:
1) We started by agreeing to use air to power our car
2) We brought in the parts to make our car
3) We got a small rectangular piece of cardboard to use as the base
4) We then attached two large straws to the underside
5) Next we attached plastic covers to the ends of the straws
6) These plastic covers were then glued to 4 CD's which we used as wheels
7) After testing the wheels we taped a balloon to another large straw
8) We then attached the straw to the top of the car
9) Lastly we spray painted it
10) Tested the car
My group and I created this presentation to support our final product:
Physics Concepts
Velocity: Velocity is a vector that shows speed in a given direction.
Acceleration: Acceleration is the change in velocity over the change in time.
Thermal Energy: This is the total energy released, including friction.
Reflection
I enjoyed this project very much! it was great to work with yet another new group and test our skills. From this project I learned about the transfer of different types of energy, and how to use them in order to build a car. We used simplicity to make our car work and in the end it was able to carry the weight and stop almost exactly at 5 meters.
My group managed our time very well. We brought in all the parts the first opportunity we had and had our car completed quickly and were able to start on our presentation early. Every member of the group was given a role and a specific part to bring and we all carried it out perfectly by the end of the project. We did a good job setting a schedule for ourselves and managing our time. We could have done better with our calculations and graphs. It took us a long time to figure out how to solve the calculations or to figure out howto graph the data. In the end we were able to complete and exceed the projects standards as well as enjoy the project as a whole.
Velocity: Velocity is a vector that shows speed in a given direction.
Acceleration: Acceleration is the change in velocity over the change in time.
Thermal Energy: This is the total energy released, including friction.
Reflection
I enjoyed this project very much! it was great to work with yet another new group and test our skills. From this project I learned about the transfer of different types of energy, and how to use them in order to build a car. We used simplicity to make our car work and in the end it was able to carry the weight and stop almost exactly at 5 meters.
My group managed our time very well. We brought in all the parts the first opportunity we had and had our car completed quickly and were able to start on our presentation early. Every member of the group was given a role and a specific part to bring and we all carried it out perfectly by the end of the project. We did a good job setting a schedule for ourselves and managing our time. We could have done better with our calculations and graphs. It took us a long time to figure out how to solve the calculations or to figure out howto graph the data. In the end we were able to complete and exceed the projects standards as well as enjoy the project as a whole.