In this project we had to create an alternate energy vehicle that would travel 5 meters. We had the options open to choose however method we wanted to do as long as it didn't use any chemical energy. My group chose to use rubber band and stretch them to create our energy. This project was defiantly a project out of my comfort zone, but I learnt a lot and will remember this project in the years to come.
Spring constant: A measure of how easily a spring is compressed and expanded, this is calculated using K=F/d. It is measured in Newton Meters and the number given symbolizes how hard it is to pull the object.
PE(Elastic): How much energy is stored in an expanded or compressed spring. It's formula is PE(Elastic)=0.5K(XX), where X=the distance moved by the elastic material. PE(Elastic) is measured in Joules.
KE (Elastic): (equation) KE = 1/2 x Mass x Velocity squared
Velocity: (equation) Velocity = the change in distance over the change in time. It is calculated in meters per second
Reflection
In this project we had to construct a "car" that can move a distance of 5 meters. The hard part was that you couldn't use any chemical or nuclear energy to power the car. Through out the project I definitely had some strong and some weak points. One thing I did good was that I was able to communicate my ideas very well with my group, which was crucial because not everyone in my group was able to do so. Two things I did bad was one; my composure. There were a couple of instances where one of our group mates couldn't communicate the idea he had with the group and thought we knew what he was talking about. Three of us were thinking one idea and the fourth group mate a totally different idea. It was extremely frustrating and I had to take a five minute break to calm down. Another thing I did bad was staying fully on task. I was still slightly off task a few times, but quickly got back on. To sum up the project I thought it was a success. I really enjoyed doing this whole project, and I can't wait to do more projects like this in the future.