Aero Car 2009

Objective   To construct a car which can travel the greatest distance using wind power.

•   Grades 5 - 9  students supply the wind for the car.
•   Grades 10 - 12 students build a car that is self-propelled.

Construction
1)  The car may be made ONLY from the following materials:
  All materials used in construction must be available in local grocery/department stores.

2)  The car must have both a frame (chassis) of any shape and rolling wheels.
3)  The car must have dimensions which allow it to fit into 50 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm cube at all times.
4)  The mass of the car must be greater than 40 grams and must remain in one piece at all times.
5)  The intent is to have students use any amount of the easily accessible materials listed to construct all parts of the car.  Students should not use a part that was manufactured for the purpose for which they are using it.
e.g. Students may not use a propeller that was commerically manufactured to be a fan or propeller.
6)  For Grades 5-9
    The wind device can be made from any materials and can be a manufactured device but must fit inside at 1.0m³ ( 1 meter x 1 meter x 1 meter cube) box.  It must use only the mechanical energy of the participants.

Competition

Track is on a tiled floor approximately 2 meters wide.
All parts of the vehicle must remain inside of the 2 meter wide track at all times.
Grades 5 - 12
1)  The course will be  on a waxed floor approximately 2 meters wide.
2)  The car must remain in contact with the floor, in one piece, and inside the 2 meter wide course at all times during the trial.
3)  The car must start at rest at the start line.
Grades 5 - 9
1)  The course will have a start line and a fault line 3 meters from the start line.  Contestants may enter the area between the start line and fault line.
2)  Two contestants may supply wind with their lungs or a piece of cardboard, etc. using only mechanical energy supplied by the participants. No electrical, chemical, magnetic energy may be used. *
3)  The contestants may not contact the car during the trial directly or indirectly (except with the wind) but they may move along with the car between the start line and the fault line.
4)  The contestants and the device may enter the 3 meter region between start and fault line but may not contact the floor beyond the fault line.
5) There is a time limit of one minute of student applied power for all trials.

Grades 10 - 12
1)  All energy for the motion of the car must come from potential mechanical energy stored in the airplane style propellers on the car. The force for motion must be supplied by air or wind.
2)  The stored potential energy must be supplied to the car by hand. No motors, engines or pneumatic devices may be used.
3)  The contestants may not contact the car during the trial directly or indirectly.  They may not contact the car at all beyond the start line.

*Wind can only be supplied during the competition; wind cannot be stored prior to the start of the trial.

Judging

1)The distance will be measured from the start line to the point where the car stops or the point where the front of the car first leaves the course.
2)  One student will release the car at the judge's signal from behind the start line. No motion of the car or its parts and no wind will be allowed until the start signal is given.
3)  Two trials will be allowed for each team and teams may use a different car for the second trial.
4)  Score  = (Mass x Distance)  High score wins.

Judge: Lee Hirsch  /  Wootton High School (301 279-8595)
  lee_m_hirsch@mcpsmd.org
 website:  http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/woottonhs/Science/finalfront/