Method to the Movement

The energy behind the car is the elastic potential energy in the rubber band. When it is pulled back the energy increases and when released the energy is transferred from the rubber band to the car.This force is equal and oppose of the pull which is Newton's 3rd law.The car also demonstration Newton's 1st law. Because when the unbalanced force, the rubber band acts on it it moves. It would continue to do that but because of friction and Newton's 1st law it slows to a stop when all the kinetic energy turns back into potential energy.

Reflection

                After testing my design and seeing other design be tested I would say that my design was fairly successful. The sling shot with the fishing line attached to it went 7 tiles. This so far seems to be faring well against the other competition but it will not be placing in the top two positions. Altering the design to make it within the rules was not my plan but it did not deter its performance. The uncoiling of the line seemed to slow it down a bit but it did do  the required distance. If I were to do it again I would do two things differently. I would first have supported the wheels more properly so that it would not have gone on an angled track which deducted from its total amount of tiles traveled. Secondly, I would have read the rules more carefully so that no last minute changes would have had to be done and also so that I could have planned out the way to attached the fishing line car so to not have it catch on the wheels multiple times and so that the line would not have kept getting tangled. The reasons for errors were based in three main points. The first was the way the sponges were glued together made it easy for them to deform under the pressure of the rubber band. The second is reason was the way that the shoot was balanced. When the rubber band was pulled back and the sides angled inwards it had to be set exactly right or it would go off spinning because the sides were a bit of a different length. The last reason for error was the last minute changes that had to be done. By not reading the directions over after designing my design I had to find a loophole quickly and it was not fully thought out. The fishing line was the source of error in this situation. To further investigate the challenge, I would test other models such as the balloon power design or the mouse trap design. I could also reevaluate my design and perfect the fishing line design.

Change to design

On Monday Mr. V came to me with concerns about my project. It turns out that having the car leave the sling shot and the sling shot not being part of the car is against the rules. At this I found a loophole! I attached a fishing line to the back of the car and the back wall of the shoot to go around that! PROBLEM SOLVED!!

Why my design will go the farthest!!

http://masher.com/player.jsp?key=e3f639e4-62ee-6b85-2cc4-0000c3ac3323&adScheme=0
Pictures of each slide:

Final Design

Name: Double Infinity

Day of Experiments in scientific method form Design #3

Hypothesis: If a modified sling shot made of a shoot and rubber bands,then  a car is placed in between the rubber band’s arch and the rubber bands are released then the car will go forward.

Procedures: (after car and shoot are made)

1. Pull back the rubber bands and hold
2. Place car in the middle of the arch made by the rubber bands
3. Insert the rubber bands into the notch in the back in the car while holding car in place
4. Release the rubber bands by releasing the car.

 Results

     After 10 test:

                8 went straight and traveled over 5 tiles( 160 cm)

                1 spun out of control and when about 100cm

                1has the rubber bands catch on the wheels and did a 360 in the air

Conclusion

The experiment was successful. After testing the sling shot idea turned out to be the best design so I added to the design to make it work was proficiently as possible. Although a few tests did not show the results needed for full credit, this design is the most promising.  The idea of a sling shot design is defiantly what the final design will be bases on.

Day of Experiments in scientific method form Design #2

Hypothesis: If I place a light cup on a newspaper with an edge and then pull back quickly, then the cup will roll forward

Procedure:

1. Gather a light cylinder shaped cup and a sheet of newspaper
2. Fold the edge of the newspaper over to create about an inch lip
3. Place the newspaper a flat surface with the edge side down
4. Place the cup on top of the newspaper
5. Put the newspaper back as fast as possible without curving the paper or making the paper a ramp

Results :

When following the procedures little change in the cups position occurred. 

Conclusion 

When using a light cup and a edged piece of newspaper I was unable to move the cup enough to go a foot let alone 5 tiles. I suspect that the forces at work are not strong enough to overcome inertia or keep the cup spinning and without making a put upwards when the cup is rolling because of the slope created, it is not possible to move even a very light cup far with a newspaper .

Day of Experiments in scientific method form Design #1

Hypothesis: If a drop 4 mentos into a 8oz. bottle of Diet Coke which was pour from a 2 L bottle then it will cause a chemical reaction which results in a a stream of C02 bubbles.

Procedures:

1.       Gather a 2 L bottle of Diet Coke,  a sleeve of Mentos and a 8 oz. empty Diet Coke bottle
2.       Pour 8 oz. of Diet Coke into the 8 oz bottle.
3.       Let rest for a minute 
4.        Drop 2 Mentos into the bottle

Results

When dropping the Mentos into the pre-poured 8 oz. Diet Coke bottle, no reaction happened. To check results, 4 Mentos were dropped into the remainder of 2L bottle, a stream of bubbles erupted from the bottle,

Conclusion

The experiment was a failure.  In trying to save Coke and do as many experiments as possible I poured the soda into another bottle. The problem with that is all the gasses that make the reaction occur are released when being poured. When I poured a small amount of Diet Coke into the bottle and then put Mentos into it the gasses where gone and no reaction occurred. . I decided not to use Design#1 for two reasons. One: I would never be able to test my experiment on the actual bottle that I would use in the testing. Two: the amount of Diet Coke and Mentos I would need to do experiments and test would be too much and I would be wasting it.

Pros and Cons design 3

Design 3
Pros

• simple design 
• easy to make 
• retestable 
• uses newtons 3rd law
• a lot of potential energy in rubber bands 
• slingshot design used in toys 
• upgrades easy to make 
• car is light and moveable 
• travels in a straight line 

Cons 

• can spin of course
• rubber bands can break 
• takes a lot of attention to detail to load 
• sponges car may bend when being loaded 
• shoot has to be reinforced to make sturdy

Pros and Cons design 2

Design 2
Pros

• simple 
• easy to make 
• not messy 
• make multiple versions to test
• retestable 
• can be done multiple times 

Cons

• design does not work 
• unpredictable at times 
• may not go in the 2 tile path

Pros and Cons design 1

The Pros and Cons of Each Design
Design #1 
Pros 

• a lot of potenial energy in Diet Coke and Mentos 
• cool looking 
• applied newtons 3rd law
• know that the reaction will work from research 
• complicated 

Cons

• messy 
• cannot test the actual bottle that would be used for the really experiement
• a lot of time needed to make multiple testing models 
• wasteful 
• could spin off course
• not predictable

The Science Beheind It

The final design applies Newton's 3rd law. When pulling back the rubber band and releasing it , the potential energy of the rubber band and the car are released. The elasticity of the rubber band helps build the potential energy like increasing the height a rock increases its potential energy. When it is release the energy of the rubber band is transferred to the car to make it go forward. When it is released it has an equal and opposite reaction with the shoot, the rubber band and the car. In all, Newton's Third Law of Motion is what propels the car to its (hopeful) success

Final Design

The final design is a modified version of design #3. After testing the sling shot idea turned out to be the best design so I added to the design to make it work was proficiently as possible. I reinforced the sides with two layers of cardboard and covered all pieces in duct tape. These improvements make the structure of the shoot sturdier and makes it easy to reload and do it quickly. Three rubber bands were also used instead of one to give the car more of a boost from the extra elasticity. Finally, at the back of the car a wooden cylinder with a notch in the back was added. This helped keep the rubber bands as far away from the wheels as possible so that they do not get catch and make it spin of coarse. In testing the design worked well. About 8 of the 10 tries I when over the 160 cm make needed and when in a straight line. On another try the car spun out of control and when about 100cm. The last try the rubber band catch on the wheels and it did a 360 in the air. Seeing that the testing showed a vast majority of the car working better then necessary, I am confident for the Monday's testing.

I will upload a picture of the design once the car and shoot have dried and are finished.

The CAR!!!

I have decided to use the car the is shown in design #2 and design #3.It uses sponges which a light and axles and wheels to make it roll.

Day of Experiments

I also went on to test design#2 to make sure that I wanted to continue on with Design#3, and it to had its problems. When using a light cup and a edged piece of newspaper I was unable to move the cup enough to go a foot let alone 5 tiles. I suspect that the forces at work are not strong enough to overcome inertia and without making a put upwards when the cup is rolling because of the slope created, it is not possible to move even a very light cup far with a newspaper and Newton's second law alone.

Day of Experiments

Up until today I had been leaning towards Design#1. It seems well the coolest, but after my experiment today my choice has changed. Today I did the simple drop a few Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke experiment. Trying to save Coke and do as many experiments as possible I poured the soda into another bottle. The problem with that is all the gasses that make the reaction occurs are released when being poured. When I poured a small amount of Diet Coke into the bottle and then put Mentos into it the gasses where gone and no reaction occurred. After this happened I opened a new bottle of Diet Coke to make sure that I was understanding the problem and sure enough when I did the experiment in the undisturbed Coke it did exactly what the clips showed. I decided not to use Design#1 for two reasons. One: I would never be able to test my experiment on the actual bottle that I would use in the testing. Two: the amount of Diet Coke and Mentos I would need to do experiments and test would be too much and I would be wasting it.

Design#3

Plans for Design #3

Design#2

Design#2 Plans

Design #3: Sling Shot Car

This idea but scaled down a lot and less complex

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AySuafZ8to

Design#2 opposite. Tablecloth Trick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSj_MVUsBzg

Design#3

This design uses the idea of Newton's third law. It has the basics of a sling shot. A cardboard or wood square "u" out be built. On it a rubber band would be connected to it on the tips of the shape. the car would be placed inside the shoot and the rubber band and the car would be pulled back. The release of the rubber band would propel the car forward. The equal and opposite force would hopefully build up enough momentum to move it forward the 5 tiles. The car would be made out of two sponges hot glued together with axles and wheels attached in between the two layers.

Design#2

Yesterday I came up with a new design for a newtons scooter. It uses Newton's 2nd Law also known as the Law of momentum. The plan was to use a newspaper with an edge to it and place a small very light car on it. This would we using the idea of the table cloth trick in reverse. By using the newspaper with a lip would make the inverse force not equal. Also using  a very light car with large wheels would make it more willing to move and overcome Initial more easily.

Design #1 Diet Coke Bottle Car with Mentos

This design focus on focusing the force the chemical reaction between Diet Coat and Mentos . It used the CO₂ explosion as propulsion fuel. Axles and wheels would be attached to the Diet Coke bottle so that when the stream of CO₂ bubbles comes out the back the equal and opposite force( Newton's law of Energy) moves the car forward. Side supports would be added to balance the bottle and keep it from flipping over. It would also keep it in its maximum 2 tile path. A nozzle would be added to the bottle to concentrate the reaction. The Mentos would sit behind a magnetic panel which would be release either by releasing the magnet or by moving the panel. 

Diet Coke and Mentos

When given the project the first thing that went through my mind was Diet Coke and Mentos. The classic chemical reaction which results in a forceful stream of CO2 bubble. And then I though about Mythbusters and there many experiences trying to explain the chemical reaction and the reactive chemicals in both the Diet Coke  and Mentos. Below are a few links to videos of Mythbusters' experiments

Mythbusters CO2 test with different substances

Mythbusters Coke and Mentos Competition

Newton's Laws

What are Newton's Laws of Motion, Momentum and Energy??

Newton's Three Laws :

• Law of Motion: an object at rest will stay at rest and an object in motion will stay in motion unless an unbalanced force acts upon it
• Law of Momentum: the rate of change of momentum of an object is directly proportional to the resultant force acting on it 
• Law of Energy: every action has an equal and opposite reaction 

Here's the Challenge

Yesterday, my teacher handed out a project that my honors physical science class was to complete. The challenge he gave us was " Apply your knowledge of Newton's law of motion, momentum, and energy to design and construct a vehicle that will go as far as possible using an unbalanced force to create motion." 

So here are the RULES:

• - Construct a vehicle that can travel at least 3 tiles(each tile is 60 cm)*. Vehicle must stay within a 2-tile wide path
• - No FORWARD force may be applied to vehicle by the student (me)
• -Vehicle must be made of recycled/reused products. No pre-made vehicle parts( other than axles and wheels) 
• - Vehicle must travel using an unbalanced force to create motion 
• - Students are not allowed to help vehicle along the path 
• -Students may not use electricity/ fuel cells or manufactured containers of pressurized gas( i.e CO2). This is a land vehicle. All vehicles start from a level surface( no ramps or strings). All parts of vehicle must remain on vehicle, except fuel. 

*to get full credit, the vehicle must go at least 5 tiles( 300cm)