Rubber Band Car Designs For Speed

This rubber band powered car is an awesome engineering activity for your next stem project time.

Rubber band car designs for speed.

Teams of students construct rubber band powered cars from everyday materials. The focus of this lesson is on rubber band powered car design. Toothpicks straws and bottle caps constitute this unique design of rubber band race car. Legos cardboard and other household items are used.

Turn the rear axle several times to wind the rubber band around it set the car on a smooth hard surface and let go. Kids love building things that move. Anything below 20 meters is a failing grade. It must travel at least 20 meters and best of all is above.

Students must design their cars to travel in a straight line for a distance of at least 3 meters within a 1 meter wide track. With this you can design the car to speedily sprint a short distance or travel a long distance. Loop the loose end of the rubber band over the catch. One of the keys to a successful rubber band car are large wheels with rubbery grip that don t slip on the axel.

When the rubber band unwinds and the axle spins it transforms the potential stored energy into kinetic energy or motion. Your car is ready to roll. Choose a large rubber band to power the car. How does it work.

Basically it s a project to build a rubber band car of any size and not use any materials designed or it s intentional use is for a car. Long distance rubber band car. 6 rubber band car designs use a body axle and wheels to teach potential and kinetic energy. When you turn the axle on the car you are giving the rubber band potential energy which is stored energy.

On twisting the rubber band around the axle you are storing potential energy in it that gets transformed into kinetic energy when you let it go. And only utilize one rubber band for it s main power source. Loop one end on the hook at the front of the car and loop the other end over the catch on the rear axle. Wind the rubber band around the axle.

The aim of this project is distance. Plus it s even more fun if you can make a car go without just pushing it or by adding an expensive motor. Corrugated cardboard two drinking straws two wooden skewers four cds that are okay to get scratched sponge paper clip assorted rubber bands tape scissors flat hard surface for testing your car hot glue gun optional.