Conceptual Model
Identify Problem:
Each student is to design and build the quickest and most aerodynamic CO2 dragster possible. Generate Ideas: Sketch on side In the sketch I showed what measurements I wanted for my car. My car will not look my sketch. I drew this sketch to show how I didn't want any sharp edges on my car to prevent resistance while the car is in motion. With smooth curved edges, the air the car passes through can glide over the car easily. I plan to make the tires relatively skinny and center the axle in the middle so the car is balanced and the wheel spin fast for speed. I think I will add additional features likes ridges/curves and decorations to improve the looks of the car. Constraints: |
Criteria: Some criteria are:
WEIGHT
-The car should be lightweight to make the car accelerate more.
LOOKS
-The design of the car and the way it is shaped should allow the car to accelerate without any trouble.
EFFICIENCY
-The car should have the ability to succeed.
Research:
For this project, I decided to search up "how to make an efficient CO2 car" and i came upon the website www.quora.com. The ideas that I came up with for my wheels came from this website. I learned about the importance of accuracy for the wheels and how I should prevent resistance in the wheels. I also researched "function of CO2 dragsters" and clicked the pdf titled "CO2 Dragster Design and construction tips. This website helped me with the criteria like light weight. The website says with less weight, the car will have less resistance.
Possible Solutions:
These are possible designs I have come up with:
Idea #1- for this idea i came up with a CO2 car that is curved at the tip but not very flat. The wheels are close to the maximum sizes. it isn't very tall or long but it is quite thick.
Idea #2- For this idea I made the car slim to increase its speed. the wheels are small and thin to provide less resistance. It curves up a little at the end to let the incoming air flow upward. It has a sharp tip so it ca zoom through the air quickly.
Idea #3- For this idea the end of the car is the maximum height. The wheels will be bigger to hold the weight of the car. Starting from the front, the car is leveled but then it slopes upward to create the ending piece.
Idea #4- For this Idea The car is pointed in the front and is slim like mt second idea. the difference is that at the beginning it curves up and then dips in towards the middle. i then lifts up for the sir to be pushed out.
Idea Matrix:
#1 #2 #3 #4
Weight 2 4 1 3
Efficiency 1 3 2 4
Looks 3 2 1 4
Total 6 14 5 19
Summary:
The reason i chose my 4th idea is because I think it exceeds all of my other ideas in many areas. Because of its pointed tip, It will be faster and the curves will prevent resistance. Its not as big as my other ideas so that helps the car travel faster with light weight.
WEIGHT
-The car should be lightweight to make the car accelerate more.
LOOKS
-The design of the car and the way it is shaped should allow the car to accelerate without any trouble.
EFFICIENCY
-The car should have the ability to succeed.
Research:
For this project, I decided to search up "how to make an efficient CO2 car" and i came upon the website www.quora.com. The ideas that I came up with for my wheels came from this website. I learned about the importance of accuracy for the wheels and how I should prevent resistance in the wheels. I also researched "function of CO2 dragsters" and clicked the pdf titled "CO2 Dragster Design and construction tips. This website helped me with the criteria like light weight. The website says with less weight, the car will have less resistance.
Possible Solutions:
These are possible designs I have come up with:
Idea #1- for this idea i came up with a CO2 car that is curved at the tip but not very flat. The wheels are close to the maximum sizes. it isn't very tall or long but it is quite thick.
Idea #2- For this idea I made the car slim to increase its speed. the wheels are small and thin to provide less resistance. It curves up a little at the end to let the incoming air flow upward. It has a sharp tip so it ca zoom through the air quickly.
Idea #3- For this idea the end of the car is the maximum height. The wheels will be bigger to hold the weight of the car. Starting from the front, the car is leveled but then it slopes upward to create the ending piece.
Idea #4- For this Idea The car is pointed in the front and is slim like mt second idea. the difference is that at the beginning it curves up and then dips in towards the middle. i then lifts up for the sir to be pushed out.
Idea Matrix:
#1 #2 #3 #4
Weight 2 4 1 3
Efficiency 1 3 2 4
Looks 3 2 1 4
Total 6 14 5 19
Summary:
The reason i chose my 4th idea is because I think it exceeds all of my other ideas in many areas. Because of its pointed tip, It will be faster and the curves will prevent resistance. Its not as big as my other ideas so that helps the car travel faster with light weight.
Graphical Model
Mathematical Model
I think the faster cars will be the ones that weigh less because there will be less weight holding the car down. Extra weight will slow down the car and prevent it from going at a higher speed.
Working Model
The car I created on sketch up and my working model look similar but are quite different. To prevent my car from breaking in half, i designed my car to be thicker in the middle by not bending inward as much. I also made the car flatter than in the graphical model. The top if the car is lower than I had planned.