Academic General Science 8
Balloon Powered Race Cars
Objectives:
 To create a balloon powered race car for maximum
speed and distance
 To calculate velocity, acceleration, momentum and force of the car
 To graph distance vs. time for a moving object
 To relate Newton’s Laws of Motion to a moving object
Materials provided by teacher:
 9 inch balloon (standard size)
 Regular school supplies like tape, glue, markers, paper, etc.
 Regular sized drinking straws
Materials you need to find/bring:
 Base for the car
 Wheels for the car
 Pipe or tube to let air in and out of the balloon
Rules:
 The car can be powered by 1 or 2 balloons. 2 Balloons is not always better.
 You can build the car base out of anything. The lighter it is the better.
 It must have at least 3 wheels. Wheels are defined as anything round that
goes around. They can NOT be from a toy car. They must be made from
something that was not originally meant to be used as wheels.
 The car may not leave the ground at any time during the race and must
move on its wheels – not slide.
 Do not take your car apart after you race. We will display them around
the room and vote for the best looking car.
Awards: (for cars that follow the rules and actually move)
 Best looking car (you will vote)
 Fastest car (in first 5 meters)
 Farthest distance traveled
 Greatest momentum
Balloon Car Rubric
2 or less balloons
3 or more wheels
car didn’t leave ground
car moved on wheels
car fully assembled
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0
0
0
0
1
1
1
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1
Procedure
Day one:
1) Create a blueprint on the graph paper provided
2) Fill out the Materials and tools sections on the Materials page.
Day two:
3) Bring materials from home and work on your car IN CLASS.
4) When your car is finished go back and update the Materials and Step by
Step directions – you probably have changed some things.
5) Fill out the Challenges and Technical Difficulties page. You must list at least
3 problems (and solutions) you had when designing, building, or testing
your car.
6) Practice racing your car, but be careful…too much practice can wear your
car and your balloon(s) out!
Day three (and more if needed):
(On race day we will set up a track. The time will be taken at 1 m, 2 m,
and the finish line. The total distance will be measured. Each car will be
allowed three trial runs. This allows a second or third chance if the car turns,
balloon malfunctions, etc. Many cars need to be raced. If your car takes too long
to prepare, another group will race and you will get pushed to the end of the line.)
7) Race your car. You MUST be finished with everything above before you
are allowed to race.
8) Fill out the data table for your car.
9) Do the questions, problems and graph in the conclusion.
Data Table
Distance (m)
Time (s)
1m
2m
(Total distance)
(Total time)
**Extra credit points for every meter over 3 m that your car goes!
Mass of your car (g) = _________________
Mass of your car (kg) = ________________
Conclusion – Show all work:
1-3)
Determine your car’s velocity using the formula below:
V (velocity) = d (total distance)/t (total time)
*Use the numbers from your data table above. Your units for velocity will be
m/s
Velocity = _____________________
4-6) Calculate the acceleration of your balloon car using the total time
from your data table and the velocity (m/s) from #1-3. Use the
acceleration formula below and show all of your work:
a (acceleration)=
V (velocity)
t (total time)
Acceleration = ____________________________
7-9) Calculate the force that your balloon needed to move your car. Use
the mass in Kg from the data table. Use the acceleration that you
calculated above in #4-6. Use the 2nd law formula below:
F=mxa
Force = _________________________
10-12) Calculate the momentum of your balloon car. Use the mass in Kg
from your data table. Use your velocity (m/s) from #1-3 and the
formula below. Show all of your work:
p (momentum) = m x v
Momentum = ___________________________
13) List below what you would change to make a better balloon car next
time:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
14-20) Make a line graph on a separate piece of graph paper to show your
car’s speed. Put the distance on the y axis and the time on the x axis.
Graph the 1 meter, 2 meter and total distance data. Don’t forget the 5
things you should put on all graphs. Staple your graph to this lab before
you turn it in.