Paper Car Challenge (55 pts total)
[Newton’s Laws & Conservation of Energy]
Objective 1: Design and build a self-propelled vehicle made of simple materials that will travel at least
6 m along a tile floor. Your vehicle needs at least three (3) functional wheels.
Objective 2: Calculate the potential energy stored in the engine (the rubber band) of your car.
Group: 1, 2, or 3 people in the same period as you. Choose wisely.
Materials: File Folders, Note Cards, Paper, Plastic Straws, Paper Clips, Rubber Bands, Tape, Glue, Plastic
Bottles & plastic lids, coins to add weight. (materials that are NOT ok include but are not limited to: corrugated
cardboard (cereal box type cardboard is ok), foam board, CDs, pens, pencils, chop sticks, skewers, wire,
tubing/piping, and anything not listed in the “Materials” section.) Any other materials must be cleared by Mrs.
Wright prior to race day!
Grade Breakdown:
Race Day (25 points): Full credit is given for traveling the full 6 m. Less credit is given for a lesser distance.
Your car will be given 2 trials and the better trial will determine the score. Vehicles tend to curve, so the furthest
distance traveled in the forward direction (not side to side) will be the official distance.
Race Day is: _________________________________
Paper (30 points): ONE paper per GROUP. The paper must the TYPED & turned in to turnitin.com.
 Title page (0.5 pt) – Title of project, names of everyone in the group, Date, Period
 Purpose (0.5 pts) – Also called “Objective” (there are 2. Please copy these from this handout.)
 Theory (6.5 pts):
◦ (1.5 pts) Clearly explain Newton’s three laws (be sure to include examples of each law)
◦ (2 pts) What is friction; how does it relate to the normal force; how does your car experience external
friction and how does it experience internal friction.
◦ (1.5 pts) Explain potential energy (both gravitational PE and how it could be stored in a rubber band),
kinetic energy, and conservation of energy.
◦ (1.5) Explain how the resistive force on the car is calculated and the calculation for the energy stored
in the rubber band (use variables, not numbers)
 Picture 1 (1.5 pts): A photograph (or very detailed drawing) of your car. Please label the materials used
on the car (don’t just say rubber bands, note how many you used as well).
 Picture 2 (1.5 pts): A photograph (or very detailed drawing) of your car. Please label the action-reaction
pairs on the car allowing it to go forward.
 Data Table (2 pts): Record data pertinent to your calculations.
 Calculations: (5 pts) Calculate the potential energy stored in your rubber band.
 Conclusion (10 pts):
◦ Describe the action-reaction pairs that caused your vehicle to move. (1 pts)
◦ Describe how you used at least two of the force principles to increase the propulsion of your car. (2
pts)
◦ Describe how you used at least two of the force principles to decrease the resistance on/within your
car. (2 pts)
◦ What is the potential energy stored in your rubber band? What were some sources of error in
calculating the energy of the rubber band? Would they make your answer too big or too small? (3 pts)
◦ Summarize significant aspects of a successful design (ie. What would you tell someone who has
never built one of these vehicles to do?) (2 pts)
 Report Presentation (2.5 pts): Neat, in order, minimal typos, turned in to turnitin.com on time & by only
one member.