Speedy & Compact: The Perfect Vehicle for Your Future
As if they are engineers, students are tasked to design solar-powered model vehicles that are speedy and compact in order to make recommendations to a local car sales company. Teams familiarize themselves with the materials by building solar-panel model car prototypes, following kit instructions, which they test for speed. After making design improvements, they test again. Then they take measurements and calculate the volume of each team’s vehicle. They rank all teams’ vehicles by speed and by size. After data analyses, reflection and team discussion, students write recommendations to the car company about the vehicle they think is best for consumers. Youngsters experience key portions of the engineering design process and learn the importance of testing and collaborating in order to make better products. Pre/post-quizzes and numerous worksheets and handouts are provided.
Engineers build prototypes (like this one) from which they design improvements.Copyright 2017 Lisa VanOrder, RET Program, College of Engineering, Michigan State University
Many engineers are involved in creating fuel-efficient vehicles that travel at high speeds. This involves experimenting with aerodynamics and weight, and in the case of solar-powered vehicles, solar cell placement for the most efficient light capture. Some transportation experts envision an automated highway system in which driverless electric vehicles are wirelessly charged by solar power. In this scenario, the benefits include reducing the number of accidents, dramatically improving the flow of traffic, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Engineers typically invent and design products that meet the requirements and constraints imposed by clients. Engineers often create small-sized models of new products and projects in order to improve the end design through a series of evolving prototypes. Engineers also write summaries of their research and testing results that they share with clients.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Design and build a small-sized speedy and compact solar-powered model vehicle.
- Design and rebuild a generic prototype vehicle with modifications and improvements in order to meet given design criteria.
- Take time measurements as the model vehicles travel a known distance.
- Analyze collected time data to determine car velocity and then order/rank all the cars’ performance.
- Order decimals that are recorded to the nearest tenth of a centimeter and the nearest tenth of a second.
- Make measurements from which to calculate volume (length x width x height).
- Record, organize and analyze data to find which vehicle is most suitable for the consumer.
- Write a recommendation letter explaining their reasoning for choosing the “best” car.
- Use scientific vocabulary in a written recommendation.