Assessment 2: Elastic-Powered Toy Vehicles
Completion requirements
Assessment 2
Elastic-Powered Toy Vehicles
People of all ages love playing with toy vehicles!
You have spent a unit learning about simple and complex machines, how forces move devices, and how to design and build effective devices and vehicles. Now, you get a chance to put everything you have learned to work!
You have spent a unit learning about simple and complex machines, how forces move devices, and how to design and build effective devices and vehicles. Now, you get a chance to put everything you have learned to work!
In this activity, you are faced with a simple challenge: build a toy that someone would want to play with. It should travel far without falling apart. Nobody wants to play with a vehicle that does not work well and falls apart!
To make your challenge interesting, your vehicle must be self-powered using an elastic band. Before you build, you will research various designs and compare them carefully, choosing the best elements to use in your own vehicle design.
Build a toy that someone would want to play with. It should travel far without falling apart. It must be self-powered, using an electric band.
- Gather material and do research:
- Website: Rubber Band Car
-
- Website: How to Build an Elastic Powered Car
- PDF Document: Rubber Band Car Challenge
- Vimeo Video: How to make a car that runs on old CDs
- Depending on your design, you will need some of the following simple household construction materials: pencils, pens, markers, crayons, tape, rulers, construction paper, cardboard, paper fasteners, toothpicks, scissors, CDs, putty, washers,
thumbtacks, pipe cleaners, dish soap, wood glue, paper clips, wooden skewers.
- Elastic bands
- Optional – toy construction kit such as K'nex or similar type of kit
- Optional – digital camera
- Build your toy. Make sure that you check the criteria and rubric below to ensure that you are not missing any required elements.
- When you have completed the Assessment, submit it to your teacher using the "Add submission" button below.
Be careful when using any sharp or pointy construction materials. Do not poke or cut toward yourself.
Your Elastic-Powered Vehicle needs to include the following:
- A vehicle powered by an elastic band, that travels far without falling apart
- An explanation of exactly how your elastic-powered vehicle works
Submit the following items with your assessment:
- Any photos or video of your elastic-powered vehicle.
- An explanation of exactly how your elastic-powered vehicle works.
- Your Elastic-Powered Car Design table.