A few days ago
Anonymous

Pinewood Derby Car/Science?

Hey Yahoo! ANSWERS, I need some help, my science project is due tommarow and we are studying Newtons Laws of Motion. I was asked to built a car, which I did and write a paragraph on how it is related to Newtons Laws.

I did the reading in the text book but I need some of your guys help on how I shoul describe the laws and how i used them. My car has weights glued onto the bottom middle and bottom back. Someone please, help me write about how force is used here, aerodynamics and stuff. Thanks Yahoo!

Top 1 Answers
A few days ago
Steve

Favorite Answer

if its thin- use the property that gives the car the least drag force by reducing its cross sectional area.

grind up pencil graphite and use it on the axles as lubricant; it will reduce the coefficient of friction between the axle and wheel.

shave off mass from the wheel- reduce the amount of rotational force to get the wheel rolling.

if its low profile- use some property of fluids that will give it lift/down force.

use your weight placement and/or axle placement about the cars center of mass to optimize the equilibrium balance on the wheels.

a high gloss finish might also reduce the drag force.

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