Efficient Engineering for Speed: Variables in Car Design
Engineers strive to design energy-efficient cars for improved performance. By manipulating variables like weight, track angle, and external factors, they can enhance speed and efficiency. Understanding the concepts of independent and dependent variables is crucial in optimizing car design and performance. Graphing these variables allows for visual analysis and correlation to make informed design decisions. Watch the Engineering Video and conduct experiments to explore how different variables impact car speed and performance.
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Presentation Transcript
Why do engineers want to design energy- efficient cars? What kind of energy does your car have at the top of the track? What about at the bottom of the track? What is a variable? What is a control?
Vocabulary Variable Something that is allowed to change during an experiment. Control Something kept constant or controlled during an experiment.
Independent vs. Dependent Independent Variable This is a variable you intentionally change during the experiment, like how much your car weighs. Dependent Variable This is a variable that changes as a result of a change in the independent variable, in this case the time it takes your car to get down the track.
Graphing Variables Example Variables 7 Speed of the ball when it hits the floor (mph) 6 5 Dependent Variable 4 3 2 1 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Height above floor when dropped (ft) Independent Variable
Working with Variables What are some variables that may change the speed of our cars (dependent variable)? Engineering Video (http://pbskids.org/designsquad/profiles/inde x.html) click on snowboarding video Tests / Experiments Graph the variables
Graph (for display on white board) Angle of Track vs. Time 4 3.5 Time to reach end of track (s) 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 Angle of Track (degrees)
Graph (for display on white board) Weight vs. Time 4 3.5 Time to reach end of track (s) 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 0 1 2 3 4 Number of Pennies attached
