Re: Science Olympiad anyone?

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1 total messages Started by Dean Elliott Wed, 09 Mar 1994 03:19

#1736

Author: Dean Elliott
Date: Wed, 09 Mar 1994 03:19

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On Mon, 7 Mar 1994, Mark Joe wrote:

> Yes, I did consider  using a cord for the brakes, but I soon found out that
> using the string would cause the vehicle to roll back because the string will
> retract rather then keep straight after reaching the finish line.
>

I have used a similar contest with my Grade 12 Physics students for a
number of years. One of the most successful braking systems involved
using a cord of fixed length. The student team wound the cord around the
rear axle and as the vehicle travelled the cord unwound and then wound
itself around the front axle. With a few practice trials they were
consistently able to stop their car within a few cm of the finish line.

The whole vehicle slid a bit when the cord was fully unwound, so the
amount of sliding needed to be subtracted from the length of cord.
Obviously the choice of wheels affected the amount of sliding.

Hope that helps!

Dean Elliott                                    Ph (306)373-1333
Evan Hardy Collegiate                           FX (306)955-3019
Saskatoon, Sask.                                elliottd@jester.usask.ca
Physics, Computer Science, Network Manager

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