Balloon Racers

SpaceCam — Griffin Science

SpaceCam — Griffin Science

Let me know if you need anything to help out!

I’ve shared you all on a Google Doc we’ll use to keep ourselves organized in the planning for this monumental task, but here’s the page if you just want to follow along…

GriffinCam Into Space

Can we do it?

Yes, we can.

1. Gavin and Reed: 17.5 m
2. Lauren, Gray, and Elizabeth 14 m
3. Maybry and Ashley: 12 m
4. Collin and Anders: 11.6 m
5. Nora: 11.3 m
6. Sara, Elizabeth and Ansley: 10.7 m
7. Ethan: 9.6 m
8. Landon and Caroline: 8.2 m
9. Gabby and Zelle: 6 m
10. Aalia, Jack: 5.5 m
11. Rory and David: 5 m

Final runs will be made at 7:59 AM tomorrow morning.

Enjoy!

The Walking Chicken

As the air rushes backward out of the balloon it pushes the car forward in the opposite direction with an equal force.

Your job is to make the most of this force!

The rules to this activity are simple:

* The car must be powered by balloons.

* You can build the car out of anything.

* It must have at least three wheels. Wheels are defined as anything that is round and goes around.

* The wheels cannot be wheels from a toy car. They must be made out of something that was not originally meant to be used as wheels.

* The car may not leave the ground.

* The car must be capable of traveling at least 5 meters.

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Here’s how the whole thing works…

- On race day we will set up a track down a long hallway.

- You will race in pairs against other classmates.

- Cars that follow all of the rules will be eligible for awards.

- These awards will be given in three categories:

Best Looking Car

Fastest Car (in first 5 meters)

Farthest Distance Traveled

- We will work on our balloon racers in class next week, so start brainstorming about materials your group will need.

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Helpful Hints

There are several important things to keep in mind when designing and building your balloon racer. The first thing to do is choose the material to build the chassis or body of the car. The chassis should be both light and sturdy, for this reason Styrofoam makes a very good chassis. It is also important to design a chassis that is long enough. Short cars tend to spin out more often than longer ones. A good car should be about 30 cm long.

The second thing to do is build and mount the wheels. Wheels can be made out of about anything that is round, such as CDs caps and lids. The hard part, however, is getting them mounted straight with little friction. If the wheels are not mounted straight or are not free to spin smoothly, the car will not perform well.

Once the wheels are mounted on the chassis it is time to put a balloon onto the car. Having the balloon attached to a pen barrel so that the air comes out in a smooth manner helps. Another helpful approach is to double up a balloon so that it is twice as thick.

If the car has a sturdy but light body, free moving wheels and a good power supply, you are well on your way to being a balloon racer champion.

Formulas:

F = ma

acceleration = Change in V / Change in T
velocity = Change in d / Change in T
speed = positive movement

Units:

F = Newton (1 N = 1 kgxm/s2)

acceleration = m/s2
velocity = m/s

We’ll be working from here tomorrow.

Have a great night and enjoy the cold weather (snow maybe??)!