Hot Wheels Physics


Room 109 became the site for time trials during the annual Hot Wheels Physics lab at CMS. Team 8A science students brought their favorite Hot Wheels cars and trucks to class and recorded their speed down an inclined track. A computer was used to accurately time the vehicles over the 250 cm distance, complete with a loop and jump. By using light probes at the start and finish points, the computer program calculated and displayed the speed of each vehicle in meters per second.


Left - Heather releases her car down the track while Michael, T.J. and Jesse watch. Right - Ashley, Kevin and Denise attempt another trial.


Left - Fourth period students record data. Right - Made it!


Questions - What forces acted upon the vehicle as it traveled down the inclined ramp, loop and jump? What eventually stopped the motion of the Hot Wheels car or truck? Was the speed constant over the entire length of the track?


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