RUBBER BAND CAR
Where the Rubber Meets the Road
For this challenge, you will build your own rubber band car. What is a rubber band car? You guessed it, a car powered by a rubber band! See instructions and video tutorial below to see how to build the car. What could you make your car out of? Think of ways you can modify the design the make your car travel the farthest.
YOU WILL CREATE:
- A Rubber Band Car
- A short video (Max. 2 minutes) explaining your car, how you made it, materials used, issues and solutions, footage of it rolling, video proof of maximum distance traveled (if entering the contest).
Your car is going to be powered buy a rubber band. The concept is that your rubber band becomes wrapped around an axel – essentially “winding up” your car. This similar to how pull-back toy cars work. When you let go of the car the rubber band unwinds making the car move forward. See the videos for instructions on how to make one, but feel free to make your own version – use these videos as a source for ideas and to better understand the concept. What can you modify, change or add to make your car go the furthest?
Research and Brainstorm
Follow the instructions in the videos or search for another tutorial to make your own car. Your car must be powered by a rubber band and no other source of energy. Think about what changes or modifications you can make to your car to make it travel further. What do you available you could use to make your car? Recyclable materials, K’NEX, LEGOS?
Build and Test
What works? What doesn’t work? What modifications could you make to make your car go further? Keep testing as you are building to make sure the changes you are making are helping, not hurting.