Rubber Band Powered Car

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A phenomenon under investigation that represents a change in motion is a rubber band powered vehicle. In order for this vehicle to successfully work, the mass of the car must be light, but heavy enough to hold the one pound load of baking soda. My car’s mass was a total of approximately 0.4 kilograms or about 400 grams. With a lighter mass, more unbalanced forces can act on the car, moving it forward. The unbalanced forces that act on this car are the tension in the rubber band and the spoiler. Tension in the rubber band is the main motor for powering this car. Because it is wrapped around the axle of the car, the rubber band has the ability to coil about fifteen rounds, creating maximum tension allowing it to propel itself forward. As a result, …show more content…

The motion of the rubber band car is measured by distance in meters where speed is not part of the criteria. In addition, the mass of the phenomenon is measured in kilograms or grams. The forces that act on the vehicle is determined by the amount of trials. By removing certain objects or the further coiling the rubber band, we can determine what are the factors that contributed to the amount of distance covered by our rubber band car. To determine the independent and dependent factors of the rubber band powered car, we must keep some parts of the design constant and alter parts of the design that are not necessary. For example, because the car is powered using one rubber band, the independent variable is the size 33 rubber band. The dependent variables are the tension within the rubber band and the distance traveled. Therefore, the amount of times the rubber band is coiled, increasing the tension, would result in the distance the car traveled. However, the dependent variables are dependent upon the car’s mass and rubber band used. Moreover, the controls during the experiment would be the car’s mass, surface, structure, and wheels. Keeping the controls constant would bring out the best of data for our rubber band car. Lastly, the number of trials during an experiment would be based on the first trial. If the car is successful during its first run, then we would find ways to alter the design to increase its speed and distance covered. Because of this, our car made it to the finals, which was a total of three

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