Gregory Heinonen
Allison Tep
The objective of the project is to design and build a race track to help elementary school children understand the physics of weight distribution and its effect on speed. By providing a K’nex car and a 12 ft track, the students will be able to add weight in washers around the back or front structure of the car. Weight distribution has been proven to have a significant effect on the speed of a car moving down a track. Weight focused in the back of the car will cause the speed to increase, whereas weight focused in the front of the car will not allow the car to move as fast. Increasing the weight in the back of the car will increase the potential energy of the car at the top of the track and increase the speed of the car as it moves down the track and its potential energy is converted to kinetic energy.
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