Newton’s Scooter ProjectDue Date: 5/17/11

You are to use Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion to design a vehicle. A vehicle is a means of transportation used to move passengers, goods, or equipment. Your vehicle must travel forward 1.5 meters by pushing on the floor, the air, or some other object. You will demonstrate your vehicle in action and explain its features to the class.

Project Rules:

  • Your vehicle must:
  • Be teacher approved before construction begins.
  • Use Newton’s 3rd Law of motion to move forward; it must move forward by pushing backward on the floor, the air, or some other object.
  • Move under its own power and not from a push or a pull---it must be a “single” vehicle
  • Travel forwards 1.5 meters and completely cross the finish line. It may not veer more than 1meter off the straight course.
  • You are not allowed to interfere with the movement of your vehicle. You cannot push it to start its motion, or help it in any way once movement begins
  • You cannot use any form of electricity (batteries) or the pull of gravity (a downhill ramp) to get your vehicle started.
  • You may not use “fuel” or “canned air” such as CO2 or rocket engines.
  • You may use a “track” such as a toy car track or a string running from the start line across the finish line to guide your vehicle. Not only will this reduce friction, but it may also help you to keep your vehicle within the boundaries.
  • Your vehicle does not have to move along the ground. If your vehicle moves through the air, you could provide a string stretched between two chairs as a “track” to guide your vehicle
  • For the class Presentation, you must have a diagram of your vehicle (so I can collect your design) and identify the forces that act upon it. You will also have to explain any modifications that you made to improve the performance of your vehicle.

Suggested Materials:

  • recycled materials from home: toy parts, building block set parts, balloons, springs, straws, fishing line, paper towel rolls…

Hints:

  • Be creative! Don’t limit yourself to vehicles that have wheels. Think about other ways that you could get your vehicle to move a distance of 1.5 meters. The rules state that the vehicle has to stay within a width of 1 meter, but it does not have to move on the ground.
  • What happens if you inflate a balloon and release it into the air? Can you use Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion to explain this movement? How could you use the balloon’s movement to push your vehicle? Can you think of any other objects like this that you could use to push your vehicle?

Grading Rubric and Record: Newton Scooters / Points Possible / Points Earned
A diagram of your scooter and a one paragraph explanation of how your scooter works using Newton’s 3rd law of motion / 10
Oral presentation of how your scooter works / 10
Successful (travels 1.5m x 1.0m) / 5
Directions followed accurately / 5
Totals / 30