March 3, 2007

Heat 2 No Go Jo - C02 Cars




Heat 2 for the C02 Dragster races also did not perform at tops. Students received times at about an average of 1.100 seconds averaging 38 to 41 mph. What is attributing to this issue? That is highly debateable among the students racing their cars. All can agree that something may be wrong with the track, but that is not what some students say who clocked in at Class A Rankings. The fastest car speeded in at 44mph, and was designed delicatly with inlets for air passage from the side.


If aerodynamic design is not coming into play, than there is an issue with construction. Many frustrated students remember their cars starting off fine for a split second, then swerving on the track at an angle either to flip at the end gate, hit the end gate, or to come back in even through the finish line. Some blame the problem on faulty hardware while others accuse others of their designs being the problem.


My car on the other hand went down the track smoothly with no noticeable wobbling, but I can't fathom how this car is going so slow when I put so much work and effort into it. What could be the problem? Friction. Friction by definition is a force rubbing against another force, with one of the forces attempting to oppose the other force from moving/accelerating. There could have been an issue where Rage of Firebird had too much friction between washers/spacers to the wheels, or there was too much friction between the screw eyes and the monofillament line. This can be fixed, with a bit of lubricant and a better spacing option that will further reduce friction. If that doesn't help the dragster race faster, then I did not repair it correctly, or the design could have been perfected a bit better.

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