Activity Detail
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The Science of Racing: On Balance; Investigate forces that act on both planets and turning cars.
 


Activity Overview

Turning the corners is the limiting process for racing cars. Going straight is simply about speed, but making the turns faster than other cars is a real challenge. In this activity, we ask how does weight balance affect the turn radius of a car? What turn radius (and weight balance) produces the shortest run-time for our experimental car?

Before the Activity

Use these assessment questions before and after the activity.

During the Activity

All instructions required for the activity are included in the attached document. Though the instructions are step-by-step for the TI-73, you can adapt them to any other calculator such as the TI-84.

After the Activity

Use some of the pre-assessment questions as post-assessment for this activity.

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Subject Area:
Science : Physical Science : Newton's Laws
Science : Physical Science : Momentum

Author:
Ten80 Education

Level:
9-12, 5-8

Activity Time:
90 Minutes

Device:
TI-73 Explorer™, TI-83, TI-83 Plus Family, TI-84 Plus Family

Apps:
 

Software:
 

Accessories:
 

Other:
(All materials included in Ten80 Education Math2Go kits - www.ten80education.com) Radio-Controlled Car Weigh Scale Stopwatch Measuring Tape Tape and various types of weights (washers, bottles of water, etc.) Graph Paper

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