Title: A Report on How to Build a Soda Bottle Race Car.
Submitted By: Harini, Grade III
Race Car Name: The Panda Race Car
Aim of the
project:
•
To
make a recycled race car to race under its own power.
•
To understand simple machine concepts such as
“wheel and axle” and “inclined plane” (ramp for testing the race car to race
under its own power).
•
To
understand the concepts of force and motion of moving objects.
•
And the knowledge of using recycled materials
such as soda bottle, bottle lids, skewers, etc.).
Materials
Used:
Body of
the Race Car: Two-liter plastic soda bottle.
Wheels: lids of the Gatorade
bottles.
Axle: Wooden skewers used as
the axle.
Racer: The Panda to be seated
on the body of the race car.
Stickers: To decorate the race
car.
Construction Tools Used:
Hot Glue Gun
X-acto knife
Nose Plier
Safety precautions:
With adult (Parent’s)
supervision.
Protective gloves while
construction
Construction Procedure:
My
race car construction is chiefly classified into two main parts, the body and
the “wheel and axle”.
The
body acts as the outer covering of my race car. The wheel and axle acts as the
motion for the race car in order to move without any friction.
First,
I found a soda bottle in our kitchen cabinet to use as the body of the race
car. I also found the lids of four Gatorade bottles to use as a wheel for the
race car.
Next,
my parents helped me to drill four holes on the sides of the race car using the x-acto knife and inserted the axle (wooden skewers) of the race car. Then a
square shaped hole is cut on top of the soda bottle to insert the racer “The
Panda”.
Then,
my parents helped me to drill holes on the top of the lids of the Gatorade
bottles using the x-acto knife to act as wheels. Then we inserted the lids
(wheels) to the wooden skewers (the axle) of the race car and the extra length
of the wooden skewers are cut using nose pliers.
Then, using the hot glue gun the wheels and axle are
fastened. And
I decorated the race car. And
kept the Panda inside the race car.
Finally, I tested the race car several times to ensure it
runs very smooth and to make sure to fix any kind of mistakes that I have faced
during the construction of the car.
Problem Faced:
During
the construction of the race car, we faced alignment issues with the wheel and
axle. And by using trial and error method the alignment is brought to near
perfection.
Reflection:
From
this science project, I learnt to design and construct a race car to race under
its own power using recycled materials. In the near future, I am planning to
design and to construct a race car using battery powered motors.
Terminologies
Used:
Body: The shell
of a car; also called as auto-body. The metal or plastic external structure of
a car. For driver, passengers and goods.
Wheels: The wheel and axle is one of six simple machines. a circular
object that revolves on an axle and is fixed below a car to enable it to move
easily over the ground.
Axle: A rod or spindle (either
fixed or rotating) passing through the center of a wheel
