Mr Buckshot
February 21st, 2008, 02:20 AM
The final challenge of the physics contest this year:
Build a car out of elastic bands and wood. It must run 5.0 m in a straight line, then make a legal right turn and park (at an unspecified distance from the turning point). No electronics or combusting devices allowed. Car must stay intact the whole way, so no self-destructing cars that propel one piece to the right.
Or:
Build a car (not an RC car as I previously thought) that can run into a small artificial pond, drive across the bottom, and come out again. No electronics/combustion again. Can use waterproof materials and buoyancy devices.
I decided to go with the first challenge. Any ideas?
I'll post my design in a couple hours, but here's my first rough idea:
Put two axles perpendicular to each other, one propeller on each axle. Set up the elastic bands in such a way that one propeller will keep turning until the 5 metres is travelled, at which point the second propeller will start turning to shift the car to the right. Basically, this means that I wind up one propeller, and as it unwinds itself it automatically begins winding the second propeller, which then unwinds after 5 metres.
What do you guys think? Help is appreciated. Last year, my team got the gold medals (submarine challenge) and we'd like to get them again.
Build a car out of elastic bands and wood. It must run 5.0 m in a straight line, then make a legal right turn and park (at an unspecified distance from the turning point). No electronics or combusting devices allowed. Car must stay intact the whole way, so no self-destructing cars that propel one piece to the right.
Or:
Build a car (not an RC car as I previously thought) that can run into a small artificial pond, drive across the bottom, and come out again. No electronics/combustion again. Can use waterproof materials and buoyancy devices.
I decided to go with the first challenge. Any ideas?
I'll post my design in a couple hours, but here's my first rough idea:
Put two axles perpendicular to each other, one propeller on each axle. Set up the elastic bands in such a way that one propeller will keep turning until the 5 metres is travelled, at which point the second propeller will start turning to shift the car to the right. Basically, this means that I wind up one propeller, and as it unwinds itself it automatically begins winding the second propeller, which then unwinds after 5 metres.
What do you guys think? Help is appreciated. Last year, my team got the gold medals (submarine challenge) and we'd like to get them again.