Republic of the Philippines

BILIRAN PROVINCE STATE

UNIVERSITY
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

RHAINIER CARIL BSCE 1-A

KINEMATICS: RUBBER BAND-POWERED CAR

Objective
Build a rubber band-powered car that goes as far as possible.

Introduction
Rubber band-powered cars, like the ones in Figure 1, can be made from a variety of
materials, but they all have one thing in common. A rubber band is wound around
an axle, a cylindrical rod that passes through the centers of the wheels. As you twist
the axle and tighten the rubber band, it stretches and stores elastic potential
energy. When you release the axle, the rubber band contracts, and this potential
energy is converted to kinetic energy, the energy of motion, and the wheels will
spin. Depending on the amount of friction with the ground, the wheels might propel
the car forward, or they might just spin in place! The frictional force between the
wheels and the ground depends on both the weight of the car and the coefficient of
friction, which depends on the materials the wheels and ground are made of.

Figure 1. Four different rubber band car designs made from different materials.

Questions

 How does a rubber band car work?

 How is energy converted from one form to another in a rubber band car?
 What are the different parts of a rubber band car?
 What materials could you use for the different parts?

Physics Laboratory
 Republic of the Philippines
BILIRAN PROVINCE STATE
UNIVERSITY
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Material Size/type restrictions

CDs or DVDs n/a

Plastic bottle caps Any size. No metal lids.

Wooden pencils n/a

Plastic or
plant-based/biodegradabl Any size
e drinking straws

Wooden skewers n/a

Paper clips Maximum length 1-3/4" or 45 mm

Sheets of cardboard Maximum 12×12 inches or 30×30 cm

Maximum size #64 (3-1/2×1/4 inches or 90×6 mm when laid

Rubber bands
flat and unstretched)

Tape Clear office tape, masking tape, or painter's tape.

Physics Laboratory
 Republic of the Philippines
BILIRAN PROVINCE STATE
UNIVERSITY
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Rules

1. You must build a vehicle with a frame, at least one axle, and at least one
wheel.

2. The car must be a single device. No parts of the car can intentionally or
unintentionally detach, fall off, or otherwise separate during the test.

3. The car must be powered entirely by one or more rubber bands. No other
sources of forward force or movement, such as pushing or blowing on the car,
are allowed.

4. All rubber bands that power the car must be pulled/twisted/tightened, etc. by
hand by up to two people. No additional external tools or sources of leverage
that are not part of the car (wrenches, power drills, etc.) are allowed to help
tighten the rubber band.

5. The test must be conducted on a flat surface. Any surface (carpet, wood,
concrete, etc.) is acceptable.

6. A straight start line must be marked on the floor, using any material that will
not create a bump or impede the car's motion (tape, chalk, etc.). The car must
start completely behind the start line.

7. After the car has been released, no one can touch the car, and it cannot touch
or bump into any objects, until it comes to a complete stop on its own.

8. After the car has come to a complete stop, distance is measured from the
point on the start line directly in front of where the car started to the closest
point on the car (Figure 2).

Physics Laboratory
 Republic of the Philippines
BILIRAN PROVINCE STATE
UNIVERSITY
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Physics Laboratory
 Republic of the Philippines
BILIRAN PROVINCE STATE
UNIVERSITY
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

LABORATORY: KINEMATICS
1. How does a rubber band car work?
The rubber band in our car is looped around the axle to store
potential energy. The rubber band swiftly unwinds when the axle is
released, whirling the axle. The car moves ahead when the potential energy
is transformed into kinetic energy.

2. How is energy converted from one form to another in a

rubber band car?
The car would go forward if the rubber band were
released, which would transform the potential energy into
kinetic energy.

3. What are the different parts of a rubber band car?

 Car body
 Axels
 Four wheels
 Rubber bands
 Hooks
4. What materials could you use for the different parts?
 Card board cut out for the body
 Straws for the axel
 DVDs for the wheels
 Rubber bands to store potential energy
 Paper clips to hook the ruberbands

DISTANCE FROM THE LINE TO THE TIP OF THE CAR:

155cm

Physics Laboratory
 Republic of the Philippines
BILIRAN PROVINCE STATE
UNIVERSITY
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Documentation:

Physics Laboratory