Hybrid Car Battery Design:
Assignment: Build an energy efficient car (like a hybrid car) for Hyundai. This is a prototype that must go 5 meters and stop by itself while carrying 250 grams or 100 pennies.
Solution: THE HAMMERHEAD!
Assignment: Build an energy efficient car (like a hybrid car) for Hyundai. This is a prototype that must go 5 meters and stop by itself while carrying 250 grams or 100 pennies.
Solution: THE HAMMERHEAD!
Project 3 was a doozy. Personally, I don't know much about cars. Our goal was to try to think of an efficient way to run the car in the simplest way possible. At an engineering competition at MIT, students were assigned to create a machine that could shoot the most Ping-Pong balls in a tube. The winner placed the ball in the tube and shut the tube with a lid so no others could get in there. Simple is always better all the way around. We tend to overthink things when the answer is right in front of us. Now, our group started with many ideas. Alternate source of energy: we thought the potato and vinegar. It creates an electric current that can channel to running a car. Way too complicated and a waste of potential energy. Next we decided to just put the potato on top of the car to suggest how other companies can use potatoes for energy. We thought just pull back a spring and release. Wait a minute...wouldn't that just pull the car back too? Our group built a car "garage" to act as the resistance. What do you know, but the spring pulls back the garage too . Add weights to the garage. Too good to be true...the spring didn't provide enough potential energy because the car only went 2 meters when it needed to go 5 meters. We found a stronger spring. It destroyed our poor potato. Maybe the potato added too much weight. We got rid of the potato, and it went 3 meters. Progress? This was just hoping and praying for an elastic collision. Idea: what about a pendulum? If we added a hammer, it could easily push the car. Foolproof plan? I don't think so. It cracked the wood. We built an exact replica that would not turn the tinker toy wheels due to too much friction. The third car was a platform with thin wooden pegs with holes in it to hold the wheel and its axle. It rolled! Finally, we reached 5 meters. It was truly a victory. As you can tell from our below sketches, it took many different ideas but we never gave up and that's for sure.
Our Hammerhead was powered completely by gravitational potential energy. We drilled a hole between two posts to spin a Tinker Toy axle with a hammer attached to it. When dropped from 0.74 meters, the hammer would push the car exactly 5 meters with the 250 grams. We started to build, keeping in mind calendars and deadlines to meet. We tried to make this project as professional as possible by dressing nice for the presentation and having a well prepared presentation.In the end, we truly had a successful product no matter how much the schedule and plan was changed.
So how can this be incorporated into a real car? A mass on a pendulum can easily power a motor attached to wheels. By creating tension at the hammer's height, we store and release more potential energy that is transferred to kinetic energy, which moves the car. Since this was just a prototype, we thought Hyundai could think of a way to incorporate a pendulum in its engine. Gravity is always there as a reliable source. Gasoline is polluting the earth and fossil fuels are running low. This project helps think of ways that cars can be ecofriendly, efficient, and always there when you need them. This can be explained more in our powerpoint below:
So how can this be incorporated into a real car? A mass on a pendulum can easily power a motor attached to wheels. By creating tension at the hammer's height, we store and release more potential energy that is transferred to kinetic energy, which moves the car. Since this was just a prototype, we thought Hyundai could think of a way to incorporate a pendulum in its engine. Gravity is always there as a reliable source. Gasoline is polluting the earth and fossil fuels are running low. This project helps think of ways that cars can be ecofriendly, efficient, and always there when you need them. This can be explained more in our powerpoint below:
Key Concepts:
1. Gravitational Potential Energy: energy an object has due to position - energy stored to convert into kinetic energy (some lost to thermal energy/friction) - very efficient in converting potential energy from hammer's high position to car (energy stored where hammer at height then falling)
- THIS CAN BE CALCULATED BY MULTIPLYING MASS OF THE HAMMER BY THE HEIGHT THE HAMMER WAS LIFTED BY ACCELERATION DUE TO GRAVITY.
2. Kinetic Energy: energy of motion (car's energy to move/roll)
- THIS CAN BE CALCULATED BY MULTIPLYING 1/2 BY MASS OF THE CAR BY VELOCITY OF THE CAR SQUARED.
3. Thermal Energy: energy from potential and kinetic energy that is attained from energy of high temperatures when objects rub together (friction - axle hitting wood and wheels on floor)
4. Momentum: conserved energy converted into an object's motion (hammer pulled back)
- THIS CAN BE CALCULATED BY MULTIPLYING MASS OF THE HAMMER BY ITS VELOCITY.
5. Acceleration: the rate in which velocity changes (how the car's speed changes) - start with greater kinetic energy then less when the energy is lost to thermal energy/friction
-THIS CAN BE CALCULATED BY DIVIDING THE FORCE OF THE CAR BY ITS MASS
6. Velocity:speed with direction of motion (car's speed and direction)
-THIS CAN BE CALCULATED BY DIVIDING THE DISTANCE THE CAR WENT OVER HOW LONG IT TOOK IN SECONDS
7. Distance(in our situation): the measure of how far the car moved every second
For more physics concepts, go to this website: http://www.giftedkids.ie/physics.html
1. Gravitational Potential Energy: energy an object has due to position - energy stored to convert into kinetic energy (some lost to thermal energy/friction) - very efficient in converting potential energy from hammer's high position to car (energy stored where hammer at height then falling)
- THIS CAN BE CALCULATED BY MULTIPLYING MASS OF THE HAMMER BY THE HEIGHT THE HAMMER WAS LIFTED BY ACCELERATION DUE TO GRAVITY.
2. Kinetic Energy: energy of motion (car's energy to move/roll)
- THIS CAN BE CALCULATED BY MULTIPLYING 1/2 BY MASS OF THE CAR BY VELOCITY OF THE CAR SQUARED.
3. Thermal Energy: energy from potential and kinetic energy that is attained from energy of high temperatures when objects rub together (friction - axle hitting wood and wheels on floor)
4. Momentum: conserved energy converted into an object's motion (hammer pulled back)
- THIS CAN BE CALCULATED BY MULTIPLYING MASS OF THE HAMMER BY ITS VELOCITY.
5. Acceleration: the rate in which velocity changes (how the car's speed changes) - start with greater kinetic energy then less when the energy is lost to thermal energy/friction
-THIS CAN BE CALCULATED BY DIVIDING THE FORCE OF THE CAR BY ITS MASS
6. Velocity:speed with direction of motion (car's speed and direction)
-THIS CAN BE CALCULATED BY DIVIDING THE DISTANCE THE CAR WENT OVER HOW LONG IT TOOK IN SECONDS
7. Distance(in our situation): the measure of how far the car moved every second
For more physics concepts, go to this website: http://www.giftedkids.ie/physics.html
Reflection:
As a group, we worked very well together. The beginning of this project consisted of a brainstorm with many ridiculous ideas. Even after that, it took three different cars and 9 plans to achieve success. What I think our car did was show that simplicity is the most efficient. People thought it was obvious, so why hasn't it been used in a car before? Using the hammer pendulum could benefit other car manufacturers in the future. Gravity will always have our back. Our group truly suffered on the small details that could easily be forgotten. For example, we didn't think that the axle needed breathing room to spin, or how the height of the hammer determined where it would hit the car. This also determined how much energy would be distributed. All in all, our car worked pretty well, but could have been even better if we looked closer at the small but very important details.
I learned most in this project that the misfits always win. Our group was all kids who were focused and ready to work. I thought everything would work perfectly and the project would be done in a respectable amount of time. We actually finished close to last and had the hardest time finding a solution. I think because we have such strong opinions and are usually in charge, it was different letting others take the floor. Those who have a leader and creative and different ideas can configure a great product. The second thing I learned was perseverance. We went through 9 ideas and 3 different cars until we found a solution. Believe me, there was a point that we all wanted to give up, but that wasn't an option. With hard work and an open mind, we were able to stomp through the tough times to reach success.
One thing I could work on is patience. I would build adrenaline and become frustrated when something wouldn't work properly the first time. A huge part of engineering is trial and error. You can't reach a victory until you have learned from your losses. When the car only went 2 meters, I would squeeze my hands. Instead, I should've took a deep breath and looked for changes to improve the project. Secondly, I still need to work on my leadership. I tend to be bossy and not let others chime in their input. Basically, I don't trust them to go through with a plan that could be amazing. I need to step back and go with the flow. That is when the best ideas are aroused.
The peaks of our project started with a great motto: simpler is better. With such an obvious solution that no one would ever think would work, we were able to create one of the most efficient cars with the most accessible resource: gravity. A second peak was our presentation. We had a clear powerpoint, professionalism, and proper preparation. By connecting with our audience and having confidence in our selves, others believed in our product.
Pits of the project included our time management. Once we got all anxious about our "non-working" car, we wasted time. Actually, we had to go work at Emmy's house on a Saturday because we were falling behind. We shouldn't have been distracted when other groups' cars were working. If we focus on our project, we can easily reach a solution. We need to let the emotions go away and think of new creative ways that will help people. Another pit was when our car only went 3 meters during the presentation. The car ran that whole week perfectly until this one test. Turns out the wood cracked because we loosened the wood too much by running it all the time. Looking back, we should have thought logically about support for the car and prepared better, even for the worst.
So in the end, our simple car worked well and efficient. Yes, we could have taken alternative routes but we would have learned nothing and had no fun what so ever. I even learned about internal combustion engines (high temperature and pressure that exerts gas) and how cars work in general. Our project will benefit the future by fighting against global warming and improving our air quality and ozone layer. With a source that is reliable and harmless, we can improve cars. Who knows? Maybe your next car will use the "pendulum method" to run the engine.
As a group, we worked very well together. The beginning of this project consisted of a brainstorm with many ridiculous ideas. Even after that, it took three different cars and 9 plans to achieve success. What I think our car did was show that simplicity is the most efficient. People thought it was obvious, so why hasn't it been used in a car before? Using the hammer pendulum could benefit other car manufacturers in the future. Gravity will always have our back. Our group truly suffered on the small details that could easily be forgotten. For example, we didn't think that the axle needed breathing room to spin, or how the height of the hammer determined where it would hit the car. This also determined how much energy would be distributed. All in all, our car worked pretty well, but could have been even better if we looked closer at the small but very important details.
I learned most in this project that the misfits always win. Our group was all kids who were focused and ready to work. I thought everything would work perfectly and the project would be done in a respectable amount of time. We actually finished close to last and had the hardest time finding a solution. I think because we have such strong opinions and are usually in charge, it was different letting others take the floor. Those who have a leader and creative and different ideas can configure a great product. The second thing I learned was perseverance. We went through 9 ideas and 3 different cars until we found a solution. Believe me, there was a point that we all wanted to give up, but that wasn't an option. With hard work and an open mind, we were able to stomp through the tough times to reach success.
One thing I could work on is patience. I would build adrenaline and become frustrated when something wouldn't work properly the first time. A huge part of engineering is trial and error. You can't reach a victory until you have learned from your losses. When the car only went 2 meters, I would squeeze my hands. Instead, I should've took a deep breath and looked for changes to improve the project. Secondly, I still need to work on my leadership. I tend to be bossy and not let others chime in their input. Basically, I don't trust them to go through with a plan that could be amazing. I need to step back and go with the flow. That is when the best ideas are aroused.
The peaks of our project started with a great motto: simpler is better. With such an obvious solution that no one would ever think would work, we were able to create one of the most efficient cars with the most accessible resource: gravity. A second peak was our presentation. We had a clear powerpoint, professionalism, and proper preparation. By connecting with our audience and having confidence in our selves, others believed in our product.
Pits of the project included our time management. Once we got all anxious about our "non-working" car, we wasted time. Actually, we had to go work at Emmy's house on a Saturday because we were falling behind. We shouldn't have been distracted when other groups' cars were working. If we focus on our project, we can easily reach a solution. We need to let the emotions go away and think of new creative ways that will help people. Another pit was when our car only went 3 meters during the presentation. The car ran that whole week perfectly until this one test. Turns out the wood cracked because we loosened the wood too much by running it all the time. Looking back, we should have thought logically about support for the car and prepared better, even for the worst.
So in the end, our simple car worked well and efficient. Yes, we could have taken alternative routes but we would have learned nothing and had no fun what so ever. I even learned about internal combustion engines (high temperature and pressure that exerts gas) and how cars work in general. Our project will benefit the future by fighting against global warming and improving our air quality and ozone layer. With a source that is reliable and harmless, we can improve cars. Who knows? Maybe your next car will use the "pendulum method" to run the engine.