Published on Jun 26, 2023
The objective:
The objective of my project is to determine which model car will travel the furthest when released from a ramp, based on its aerodynamic design. My hypothesis was that the teardrop shaped car, due to its highly streamlined design, would be the most aerodynamic model and travel the furthest.
Four Styrofoam blocks, all the same size, were cut and shaped into four different body styles: a block (the control), a wedge, a standard sedan, and a futuristic teardrop designed car. Each model was weighed on a postal scale and washers added to the lighter models in order for them to weigh the same. They were then sent down a ramp, ten times each. Their distances were then charted.
The wedge car went further on average than the other models, while the unshaped block traveled the shortest average distance.
My conclusion is that aerodynamics is an important factor in the distance a model car can travel and that compromises between downforce and drag must be met to design an efficient chassis.
This project involves seeing what effects aerodynamic shaping has on the travel distance of a model car.
