Before using CO2 rocket power, we will learn about the laws of physics

by using gravity as the force to move our pinewood car blocks.

ACTIVITY MATERIALS

White Board

Sloped Surface (Ramp)

Stopwatch (Smartphone)

Blank Sheet of Paper

Pencil

Pinewood Derby Car Block With Wheels

WHAT WE ARE DOING

WHY WE ARE DOING IT

timing the drop speeds of pinewood cars

to understand Newton's 3 laws of physics

Before conducting any tests lets review Newton's 3 laws of physics.

Let's also understand the definition and relationship between: 

Position

Velocity

Acceleration

The location of something (1 meter away)

The rate at which something changes position (moving 2 meter every second)

The rate at which something changes velocity (speeding up)

(2 m/s (meters per second))

(4 m/s²)

Now, let's drop an un-carved Pinewood Derby car from a hight of our sloped surface.

Let's use a stopwatch to time how long it takes to hit the ground.

ACCELERATION OF GRAVITY

9.8 m/s²

Meters per second squared

How fast is the ball moving after 3 seconds?

Acceleration (m/s²)

Velocity (m/s)

Position (m)

ACCELERATION OF GRAVITY

FREE BODY DIAGRAM

Now, let's drop our pinewood car on the top of a sloped surface to roll down.

Time how long it takes for the car to reach the bottom of the slope.

SKETCH THE FREE BODY DIAGRAM

SKETCH THE FREE BODY DIAGRAM

SKETCH THE FREE BODY DIAGRAM

Force of ramp surface pushing back (normal force)

Force of gravity

Force of wind resistance

Force of friction resistance

Which car takes more time to reach the ground? Falling or rolling? Why?