Hybrid Car
Project Description
This project was one of the most interesting. Our task was to build a car that was powered by a form of energy that was not chemical or nuclear. The car also had to go to 5 meters, and stop there, or as close as we could get it. Although the requirement was only to build one car, we decided to make 2 cars powered by different forms of energy and compare their efficiency. One car was powered by solar energy, and the other by rubber bands. We started out by making a blueprint for how we wanted the rubber band car to look. We only decided to build the solar car after we realized we had the materials to make a working solar car. The first couple of days were somewhat productive, but we ran into plenty of problems. we didn't use our time as best as we could, so we ended up falling behind and having to work outside of school. Another problem was that our axle wouldn't fit where we wanted it to, and we had to remake that part at least 3 different times. Eventually we go that solved, but then came the next problem. Our car was way to heavy to be powered by the springs that we had. We had to scrap the front axle and go from four wheels to two wheels. We also had to switch from using springs to using rubber bands. While all of that was going on, we also had plenty of problems with our solar car. For starters, the car was to heavy in the middle, so it made the wheels bend inward. This totally messed up how far it could go. We tried fixing that by using a different design, but that one also had the same problem. Finally, we used a third design where the wheels were in the middle instead of on the outside, and this solved out problem. After that, we took times and did our calculations. You can see the finished calculations here. We added the performance graphs to our presentation, and used the last days to finish that up. Then we presented our cars to the class. You can see our finished presentation below.
This project was one of the most interesting. Our task was to build a car that was powered by a form of energy that was not chemical or nuclear. The car also had to go to 5 meters, and stop there, or as close as we could get it. Although the requirement was only to build one car, we decided to make 2 cars powered by different forms of energy and compare their efficiency. One car was powered by solar energy, and the other by rubber bands. We started out by making a blueprint for how we wanted the rubber band car to look. We only decided to build the solar car after we realized we had the materials to make a working solar car. The first couple of days were somewhat productive, but we ran into plenty of problems. we didn't use our time as best as we could, so we ended up falling behind and having to work outside of school. Another problem was that our axle wouldn't fit where we wanted it to, and we had to remake that part at least 3 different times. Eventually we go that solved, but then came the next problem. Our car was way to heavy to be powered by the springs that we had. We had to scrap the front axle and go from four wheels to two wheels. We also had to switch from using springs to using rubber bands. While all of that was going on, we also had plenty of problems with our solar car. For starters, the car was to heavy in the middle, so it made the wheels bend inward. This totally messed up how far it could go. We tried fixing that by using a different design, but that one also had the same problem. Finally, we used a third design where the wheels were in the middle instead of on the outside, and this solved out problem. After that, we took times and did our calculations. You can see the finished calculations here. We added the performance graphs to our presentation, and used the last days to finish that up. Then we presented our cars to the class. You can see our finished presentation below.
Hybrid Car Presentation |
Terms and Definitions
Potential Energy (spring): How much energy a spring, or rubber band, is storing. Measures in Joules (J). We used this to calculate how much energy our car had before we ran it.
Potential Energy (solar): How much energy a solar panel gives off per second. Measured in watts (W), and one watt is equal to one Joule per second. We used this to see how much energy the solar car would generate per second.
Kinetic Energy: Energy due to motion. Measured in Joules (J). We used this to see how much of our potential energy was converted to a force that moved the car.
Thermal Energy: The energy not converted to kinetic, and instead converted to things like sound and friction. Measured in Joules (J). We used this to see how much energy had not been converted.
Law of Conservation: The law that states that no energy is created or destroyed. We used this to find out how much energy was converted to thermal, because we know none of the potential energy can be destroyed.
Spring Constant: How difficult it is to move a spring. the higher the spring constant, the harder it is to move. We used this to help us find out how difficult, or easy, it was to stretch our rubber band.
Distance vs Time Graph: A graph that represents the distance traveled over a certain amount of time. The slope of this graph is the velocity of the object. We used this to represent how far our car went every second, up to 5m. You can see one below.
Potential Energy (spring): How much energy a spring, or rubber band, is storing. Measures in Joules (J). We used this to calculate how much energy our car had before we ran it.
Potential Energy (solar): How much energy a solar panel gives off per second. Measured in watts (W), and one watt is equal to one Joule per second. We used this to see how much energy the solar car would generate per second.
Kinetic Energy: Energy due to motion. Measured in Joules (J). We used this to see how much of our potential energy was converted to a force that moved the car.
Thermal Energy: The energy not converted to kinetic, and instead converted to things like sound and friction. Measured in Joules (J). We used this to see how much energy had not been converted.
Law of Conservation: The law that states that no energy is created or destroyed. We used this to find out how much energy was converted to thermal, because we know none of the potential energy can be destroyed.
Spring Constant: How difficult it is to move a spring. the higher the spring constant, the harder it is to move. We used this to help us find out how difficult, or easy, it was to stretch our rubber band.
Distance vs Time Graph: A graph that represents the distance traveled over a certain amount of time. The slope of this graph is the velocity of the object. We used this to represent how far our car went every second, up to 5m. You can see one below.
Reflection
Even though our presentation and our final product were well put together and worked, there were some bumps that we ran into as a group. The first of these was time management. The first two days, we all kind of spent doing out own thing. I was also gone one day, and when I came back some major changes had been made, which was a little frustrating. This also set us back even further, and we eventually ended up having to work outside of school. If I had to do one thing better, it would definitely be managing out time better, because we would have been able to finish in class, which would have taken a lot of pressure off all three of us. Another snag was we couldn't always decide on what to do, so it would sometimes be two of us working on one thing and the other working on something completely different. This also set us back even farther, but was also the reason we were able to finish both of our cars and the presentation. One of the things I thought I did well was that overall as a group we had a high standard for everything we did, so if something wasn't up to our standards, we would scrap it and try again. This was also a factor in us having to work after school, but the finished product was definitely worth it. Another thing that I though I did well was that I was always productive. You wouldn't find me sitting at my desk staring into space. Our whole group was productive, even if we did have to work after school. We had so many design setbacks that we had to constantly be working on something if we were to even get close to finishing on time. Overall, I felt this project was a huge success, and that for all our setbacks, we did some pretty amazing things.
Even though our presentation and our final product were well put together and worked, there were some bumps that we ran into as a group. The first of these was time management. The first two days, we all kind of spent doing out own thing. I was also gone one day, and when I came back some major changes had been made, which was a little frustrating. This also set us back even further, and we eventually ended up having to work outside of school. If I had to do one thing better, it would definitely be managing out time better, because we would have been able to finish in class, which would have taken a lot of pressure off all three of us. Another snag was we couldn't always decide on what to do, so it would sometimes be two of us working on one thing and the other working on something completely different. This also set us back even farther, but was also the reason we were able to finish both of our cars and the presentation. One of the things I thought I did well was that overall as a group we had a high standard for everything we did, so if something wasn't up to our standards, we would scrap it and try again. This was also a factor in us having to work after school, but the finished product was definitely worth it. Another thing that I though I did well was that I was always productive. You wouldn't find me sitting at my desk staring into space. Our whole group was productive, even if we did have to work after school. We had so many design setbacks that we had to constantly be working on something if we were to even get close to finishing on time. Overall, I felt this project was a huge success, and that for all our setbacks, we did some pretty amazing things.