Chapter Challenge Project #2: The Fan Cart

Name: _______________________________________________________ Period: _________ Date: ___________________

Chapter Challenge Project #2: The Fan Cart

Overview:

Linear Motion is all around us! We can see it in the hallways, at the train station and even on the highways! Heck, even objects that drop from the sky display linear motion. One of the best applications of linear motion is drag racing. In drag racing, automobiles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most commonly ¼ mile (1,320 ft or 402 m). Drag racing has existed in both street racing and regulated motorsports since automobiles and motorcycles were developed.

In our Linear Motion Chapter Challenge Project we will be designing and creating drag racing carts that we will compete in a Physics Drag Racing Faceoff. The same drag racing rules will apply, except the course length will be shortened. Instead of internal combustion engines (ICEs), each car will be powered by mechanical wind energy.

Objective:

You will work in partners to build a Fan Cart and submit one project per group. Your individual contributions to the project will be part of your grade as well. Final Grade = Group + Individual Grade Rules:

 Your car must be powered solely by a personal mini fan. You may not alter the state of the fan.

 Mr. A will provide you with the materials for the basic design, but you can bring your own materials for your design modifications. HOWEVER, you must put together the parts yourself (using a toy car that is already constructed is not allowed).

 The car must cross a finish line of 3 meters.

Prizes:

Extra credit will be given to one group in each of the following categories:

 Fastest Cart

 Best Engineering Innovation (for the best design modifications)

 Most Artistic Design Products:

You will turn in the following:

1. Sketch of your car, including one improvement to the basic design per group member. That means that a group of 2 students must have at least 2 improvements to the basic design. A group of 3 students must have at least 3 improvements to the basic design.

2. Physics Drag Racing Poster: see details of poster on checklist (next page)

 Name: ________________________________________________ Name: _________________________________________

Name: ________________________________________________ Name: _________________________________________

The Fan Cart

Description Points Earned Points Possible

Car Design & Performance (25 points total)

Car design is original, creative and working 15

Car reaches finish line 10

Sketch (10 points total)

Sketch shows all dimensions of cart 4

Labeled to show all materials used 4

Neatness 2

Drag Racing Poster (45 points)

Title of Cart 2

Multiple Pictures of Cart 2

Engineering Design Sketch of Cart 3

Description Of Cart 3

Data Tables of Drag Racing Results 5

Position vs. Time Graph with proper axes labels and titles 5

Velocity vs. Time Graph with proper axes labels and titles 5

Acceleration vs. Time Graph with proper axes labels and titles 5

Explanation of all 3 graphs 5

Use of 1 or more Kinematic Equations 5

Poster is Neat, Presentable and Appealing 5

Extra Credit / Deductions

Group Subtotal 80

Individual Contributions (25 points)

Names: Possible^Points

Group Work Survey completed by each

individual 5

Team Member Ratings 15

Individual Subtotal 20

TOTAL PROJECT GRADE 100

BASICS OF DRAG RACING

Before each race (commonly known as a pass), each driver is allowed to perform a burnout, which heats the driving tires and lays rubber down at the beginning of the track, improving traction. Each driver then lines up (or stages) at the starting line.

Races are started electronically by a system known as a Christmas tree. The Christmas tree consists of a column of six lights for each driver/lane, one blue, then three amber, one green, and one red, connected to light beams on the track.

The blue is split into two halves. When the first light beam is broken by the vehicle's front tire(s) indicates that the driver has pre-staged (approximately 7 inches (180 mm) from the starting line), lights the first half of the blue circle, and then stages (at the starting line), which lights up the second half of the blue circle, and also the corresponding bar in the middle of that circle.^[1][2]

Once the first competitor trips the staged beam, the tree is automatically

activated, and the opponent will have up to seven seconds to stage or a red light and automatic timed-out disqualification occurs instantly. Otherwise, when both drivers are staged the tree will start the race between .8 and 1.3 seconds after the race is staged, with the time randomly selected by the Autostart system, which causes the three large amber lights to illuminate, followed by the green one. There are two standard light sequences: either the three amber lights flash

simultaneously, followed 0.4 seconds later by the green light (a Pro tree), or the amber lights in sequence from top to bottom, 0.5 seconds apart, followed 0.5 seconds later by the green light (a Sportsman tree, or full tree). If the front tires leave from a stage beam (stage turn off) before the green light illuminates, the red light for that driver's lane illuminates instead, indicating disqualification (unless a more serious violation occurs). Once a driver commits a red-light foul (also known as redlighting), the other driver can also commit a foul start by leaving the line too early but still win, having left later. The green light automatically is illuminated on the opposite side of the red-lighting driver. Should both drivers leave after the green light illuminates, the one leaving first is said to have a holeshot advantage.

Except where a breakout rule is in place, the winner is the first vehicle to cross the finish line (and therefore the driver with the lowest total reaction time and elapsed time). The elapsed time is a measure of performance only; it does not necessarily determine the winner. Because elapsed time does not include reaction time and each lane is timed individually, a car with a slower elapsed time can actually

win if that driver's holeshot advantage exceeds the elapsed time difference. In heads-up racing, this is known as aholeshot win.^[3] In categories where a breakout rule (some dial-in categories are this way, but Junior Dragster, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Stock, and Stock most notably) is in effect, if a competitor is faster than their predetermined time, that competitor loses. If both are faster than their

predetermined time, the competitor closer to that time wins. Regardless, a red light foul is worse than a breakout, except in Junior Dragster where exceeding the absolute limit is a cause for disqualification.

Several measurements are taken for each race: reaction time, elapsed time, and speed. Reaction time is the period from the green light illuminating to the vehicle leaving the starting line. Elapsed time is the period from the vehicle leaving the starting line to crossing the finish line. Speed is measured through a speed

trap covering the final 66 feet (20 m) to the finish line, indicating average speed of the vehicle during the run last 66 feet (20m).

In the standard racing format, the losing car and driver are removed from the contest, while the winner goes on to race other winners, until only one is left, based on a traditional bracket system (typically 4, 8, or 16 car brackets). In standard formats, the pairings are based on the lowest elapsed times. In bracket racing without a breakout (such as NHRA Competition Eliminator), pairings are based on times compared to their index (faster than index for class is better). In bracket racing with a breakout (Stock, Super Stock, but also the NHRA's Super classes), the closest to the index is favourable.

A popular alternative to the standard eliminations format is the Chicago Style format (also called the Three Round format in Australia), named for the US 30 Dragstrip in suburban Gary, Indiana where a midweek meet will feature this

format.^[4] All entered cars participate in one qualifying round, and then are paired for the elimination round. The two fastest times among winners from this round will participate in the championship round. Depending on the organisation, the next two fastest times may play in a third, then fifth, and so forth, in consolation rounds.

[5]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_racing

GLOSSARY OF DRAG RACING TERMS (SAME SOURCE AS ABOVE)

 Back half—distance from the 1/8 mile mark to the 1,000 foot and 1/4 mile mark of the track.

 Beam—starting line electric eye controlling prestaged and staged lights.

 Bottle—nitrous system; also known as the jug.

 Blanket—a ballistic cover, typically over the supercharged intake manifold assembly to contain shrapnel, in the case of an explosion.

 Blow—supercharge; wreck. Said of an engine.

 Blower—supercharger (occasionally turbocharger); in '90s, generally grouped as "power adder" with turbocharger and nitrous

 Blown—supercharged; wrecked. Said of an engine.

 Blowover—flipping of a car, due to air under car lifting front wheels.

Commonly suffered by dragsters

 Breakout—running quicker than dial-in; also "breaking out." In many classes (Competition Eliminator is the major exception), it is grounds for disqualification if opponent does not commit a foul start, cross boundary lines, or breaks out by a larger margin.

 Bulb(ed)^[- jump(ed) the start, left before tree turned green. This is a loss unless the opponent suffers a more serious foul.

 Burnout—performed to heat the tires up for better traction

 Christmas tree (or tree)—lights used to start a race in addition to showing starting violations

 DA—density altitude; a reference to qualities in the air.

 Dial-in (bracket racing)—estimated of expected e.t. for a pass, set before starting, used for handicapping the start

 Diaper—an absorbent containment blanket under the engine to prevent/reduce oil contact with the track, in the event of parts breakage

 Dope—(Southern U.S.) car using nitrous or propane injection on diesels

 Digger—dragster (as distinct from a bodied car or flopper)^[20]

 First or worstif both drivers commit a foul, the driver who commits the foul first loses, unless it is two separate fouls, where the loser is the driver who committed the worse foul (lane violation is worse than foul start, and failure to participate in a post-run inspection is worst).

 Flopper—Funny Car, short for "fender flopper^] Coined by dragster crews in the late 1960s to separate Funny Cars, which had fiberglass bodies with

fenders, from dragsters. Erroneously attributed to flip-top bodies of Funny Cars.

 Fuel—mix of methanol and nitromethane ("pop," nitro); race class using it

 Fueler—any car running fuel or in Fuel class (most often, TFD or TF/FC)

 Grenade—wreck an engine (the engine "grenaded") due to internal failure.

Distinct from "popping a blower".

 Heads-up racing—where both drivers leave at the same time. Used in all professional ("pro") classes.

 Holeshot—getting a significant advantage off the starting line. The other driver gets "holeshotted" or "left at the tree". A "holeshot win" is any win in a heads-up class where a slower car beats a faster car because of better reaction time.

 Hook up—good traction between tires and track resulting in increased acceleration and reduced slipping or smoking of tires.

 James Bond—driver's reaction time (when he leaves the start line) is seven thousands of a second after the green light (.007). A "James Bond Red" is a reaction time of -.007 seconds (red light), which is disqualification unless the opponent commits a more serious violation.^[21]

 Kit—turbo or nitrous kit

 Lit the tires—lost traction, causing burning rubber

 Meth—methanol injectionused in conjunction with gasoline (non-leaded pump)

 Mill—any internal combustion engine used in a drag car, or hot rod

 Nitro—nitromethane (sometimes incorrectly used to refer to nitrous oxide

 Nitrous—nitrous oxide system; the gas used in such a system

 Overdrive—ratio between the revolutions of the supercharger to the revolutions of the engine, controlling amount of boost; see underdrive

 Oildown—when a car's engine or lubrication breaks during a run, leaving a streak of oil and other fluids on the track. This is punishable by fines, point penalties, and/or suspension.

 Pedalfest—race won by pedalling; or poor track conditions that necessitate pedalling

 Pedalling—working the throttle to avoid lighting the tires, or as a way to sandbag; "pedalled" it, had to "pedal" it

 Pro tree—timing lights which flash all three yellow lights simultaneously, and after four tenths of a second, turn green.

 Put on the trailer—lost (got "put on the trailer") or won (put the other driver on the trailer). From the obvious, losing drivers trailer their cars home.

 Quick 8 (Q8)—quickest eight cars in a defined race. Rules appear to differ per location/race.

 Rail—dragster (as distinct from bodied car or flopper). From the exposed frame rails of early cars.

 Redlight(ed)—jump(ed) the start, left before tree turned green. This is a loss unless the opponent commits a more serious foul.

 Red Cherry-jump(ed) the start, left before the tree turned green.^[22]

 Sandbagging—releasing the throttle or using the brakes at the end of the track during a bracket race after dialing a purposely slow time. Considered a dirty trick or tantamount to cheating in amateur classes.

 Scattershield—metal sheet protecting driver in case of transmission failure^[23]

 Slapper bar—traction bar

 Slicks—rear tires with no tread pattern and softer rubber compound, for increased traction

 Slingshot—early front-engined dragster, named for the driving position behind the rear wheels (erroneously attributed to launch speed).

 Standard tree—timing lights which flash in sequence five tenths of a second between each yellow light before turning green. Traditional form, before

introduction of pro tree.

 Struck the tires—loss of traction, causing them to smoke

 Throw a belt—losing the drive belt connecting the engine's crankshaft to the supercharger

 Top end—finish line of strip; high part of engine's rev band.

 Traction bars—rear struts fixed to rear axle to keep rear axle from twisting, causing wheel hop and loss of traction; slapper bars.

 Trap(s)—the 20 meter (66 ft) timing lights at top end of race track to measure speed & E.T.

 Trap speed— is the speed measured by the 60 foot speed trap near the finish line, indicating maximum speed reached in a run.

 Wheel hop—violent shaking of the car as the tires lose and regain traction in quick succession.

 Wheelie bars—rear struts fixed to rear axle, which protrude out to rear of car to help prevent car's front from raising too high or flipping over on launch.

PRODUCT #1: COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH LOG on this paper or in one google-drive folder

TEACHER SIGNATURE for approval: __________________________________________________________________

PRODUCT 2: FINAL CAR SKETCH on this paper or on separate sheet of paper

TEACHER SIGNATURE for approval: __________________________________________________________________