Alternative Energy Vehicle

James Wreden, John Walsh, Sophia Moreno

Physical Description
Our design includes two Tech Decks rubber banded and duct taped together with
one passenger on each board. Then the passengers are covered in duct tape so
that they do not fall apart. The ramp includes a wooden platform, wooden brick
to give better angle of release, two nails to hold the 3 sets of 3 rubber bands, and
2 screws that connect the platform and brick.
Distance/Velocity Over Time
Our vehicle travels 3.3 meters in 1.52 seconds. That gives it an average velocity
of 2.2 meters per second. The velocity for the first meter (before it hits the
ground) is approximately 2.4m/s. For the second meter it travels approximately
2.1 meters per second. The velocity for the final meter is 2 meters per second.
Energy Over Distance
Our rubber bands have a spring constant of 54.4N. We can use this to find the
elastic potential energy, which is 2.448 Joules. We have a graph comparing
energy over the distance traveled.

https://www.desmos.com/calculator/ed4qmp319z)
How We Use Friction
Friction isnt used too much in our launch until the end, which is when a majority
of the energy is turned into thermal when it hits the ground. The reason the
energy is lost is that as the teck deck slams into the ground it causes extreme
molecular collision in the opposite direction, causing it to slow down. Then as the
projectile slides molecular collision in the opposite direction causes it to slow
down
Why Our Vehicle?
The reason our vehicle should be used is because it is a unique experience for the
passenger. Almost everyone can ride in a car down a ramp, but how many people
can say they got to ride on a slingshot? Our vehicle is also fairly cheap. All of the
materials for the prototype vehicle can be found at home, and the tech decks are
only $12.
The End