Hope College Department of Physics and Engineering Research Experiences for Undergraduates Summer 2003 Project Summary

Project Title: Simple Vehicle that K-12 Students Can Build and Use to Investigate Concepts of Force and Motion.
Student Name: LaToya Austin
Student’s home institution: Radford University
Research Advisor(s): Dr. John Krupczak
Source of Support: NSF-REU
 

A simple apparatus was developed to allow middle and high school students to investigate concepts of force and motion. The goal was to create a simple and inexpensive device, which each student could build and take home. The project should be fun, durable, easy to build, and serve the basis for investigations of force and motion. To meet these goals a simple fan-powered car was developed. This was based on a device used for lecture demonstrations. Fan exhaust propels the cart forward. The initial design did not meet the durability requirement, concerning, fan security, wheel alignment, and battery life. The vehicle consists of a balsa wood base. Initially different size fans were tested. Different batteries such as AA, C, D and 9V were tested. Six different wheel sizes and variations were tested also, along with axles using various nails and rivets. Learning from mistakes in the initial design, several solutions were tested. Pre-drilling holes would reduce the risk of crooked wheels. Testing the batteries for their life span was conducted. Electrical tape was placed around the base and the fan to keep it stable. The force provided by the fan was about .02-.04 Newtons. The battery life exceeds two hours. For the final design the cost was around $10 each. The project was tested with a group of 16 children ages 10-12, and were able to construct the car with a minimum amount of help. They appeared interested in the project and using it when it was fully constructed. The students were ready to perform investigations regarding the effects of the weight carried by their car on the time required to travel a fixed distance. Overall the project satisfied the requirements that were initially set for the fan-powered car.

Slide show of LaToya Austin's work (Requires Microsoft PowerPoint or a PowerPoint viewer.)